Topic: Exposure to Emerging Contaminants and Maternal-Infant Health: Exposure Pathways, Risk Assessment, and Public Health Implications

Emerging contaminants—such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, microplastics, organophosphorus flame retardants, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals—have increasingly been detected in the environment, raising concerns about their potential risks to human health. Pregnant women and infants are particularly vulnerable due to critical developmental stages and heightened exposure sensitivity.

This Special Issue will explore the complex interactions between these contaminants and maternal–infant health outcomes. It seeks to gather interdisciplinary research that clarifies exposure routes, assesses associated health effects, and examines broader public health impacts. The key objectives include:

1. Identifying exposure pathways such as ingestion, inhalation, dermal contact, and transplacental transfer;

2. Assessing health risks from prenatal and early-life exposures, including developmental, neurological, and metabolic effects;

3. Investigating biological mechanisms underlying observed health outcomes;

4. Proposing public health strategies, including exposure reduction, policy recommendations, and risk communication.

Emerging Contaminants, Maternal–Infant Health, Exposure Pathways, Risk Assessment, Public Health Implications