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Molecular Imaging, Radiochemistry, and Environmental Pollutants
Summary
This review examines how molecular imaging and radiotracer chemistry techniques can be used to track how environmental pollutants — including plastics-related chemicals — move through living bodies at very low, realistic concentrations. These methods can reveal where pollutants accumulate in tissues and how quickly they are processed or retained, providing data that traditional toxicology studies miss. The authors highlight the potential of these tools to better characterize the health risks posed by emerging contaminants like microplastic-associated chemicals.
The worldwide proliferation of persistent environmental pollutants is accelerating at an alarming rate. Not surprisingly, many of these pollutants pose a risk to human health. In this review, we examine recent literature in which molecular imaging and radiochemistry have been harnessed to study environmental pollutants. Specifically, these techniques offer unique ways to interrogate the pharmacokinetic profiles and bioaccumulation patterns of pollutants at environmentally relevant concentrations, thereby helping to determine their potential health risks.
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