13位院士联合发表综述——新污染物：同一健康视角

自20世纪中叶以来，全球社会经济格局发生了深刻变革，工业活动激增，技术迅速发展。在这个时代，人类对自然资源的开采和利用大幅度增加，特别是矿物和石化产品，导致更多环境污染物扩散。曾经被誉为有益化学品的物质，如今却成了严重的环境污染物。这些不断演变的污染物包括塑料及其衍生物、阿特拉津、磷酸三苯酯、钨、全氟和多氟烷基物质、氯氟烃、新烟碱、草甘膦等。这种演变归因于不断提高的检测能力能够发现更多痕量水平的无机和有机污染物，以及人们更深入地认识到这些污染物的环境和健康效应(图2)。

Since the mid-20th century, the global socio-economic landscape has undergone a profound transformation, marked by a surge in industrial activity and technological advancement. This era has witnessed a substantial increase in the extraction and utilization of natural resources, particularly critical minerals and petrochemicals, resulting in the dispersion of environmental pollutants. There has been a notable reevaluation of substances once lauded as beneficial chemicals, which have now emerged as significant environmental contaminants. Among these evolving contaminants are plastics and their derivatives, atrazine, triphenyl phosphate, tungsten, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, chlorofluorocarbons, neonicotinoids, glyphosate, and numerous others. This evolution is attributed to improved detection capabilities for inorganic and organic contaminants at trace levels and a better understanding of their wider ecosystem and health effects (Figure 2).

上个世纪以来，工业化和城市化推动了全球人口的迅速增长，对消费品需求的激增，导致药品、家居用品和塑料制品等相关工业的生产规模显著扩张。这些产品的广泛使用和不当处置使其在自然环境中随处可见，造成了多种来源的潜在有害化学物质持续污染。因此，要制定有效的策略削减其在环境中的赋存，就必须全面了解这些污染物及其暴露途径(图3)。

Over the last century, global population growth, fueled by industrialization and urbanization, has spurred increased demand for consumer goods. Consequently, industries producing these goods, such as pharmaceuticals, household products, and plastics, have expanded significantly. The extensive use and improper disposal of these products have led to their omnipresence in the natural environment, causing continuous contamination with potentially harmful chemicals from diverse sources. This comprehensive understanding of problematic substances and their pathways of exposure is essential for developing effective strategies (Figure 3).

由于积累了大量的潜在有害物质，陆地生态系统面临着诸多挑战(图4)。人工合成和自然产生的新污染物在各种环境中广泛存在。尽管这些新污染物浓度较低，但可以产生重大且持久的影响，因此近年来对其分布和归趋进行了大量研究。新污染物来源多样，包括工业排放、农田径流和废水排放。一旦释放，新污染物会经历降解、挥发和生物积累等转化过程，从而影响它们在不同环境介质（包括水体、土壤和大气）中的分布。

新污染物会破坏生态系统、危及野生动物，从而对人类福祉构成威胁，给星球健康带来重大风险(图5)。这些污染物具有持久性、生物蓄积性和流动性等特征，可形成持久的环境效应，危害生态系统。这些物质可以通过多种途径进入人体，如口食摄入、呼吸摄入和皮肤接触。这些物质可长时间存在于环境中而不降解，导致生物累积，达到有害浓度。

Emerging contaminants present substantial risks to planetary health by disrupting ecosystems, endangering wildlife, and posing threats to human well-being (Figure 5). These contaminants exhibit characteristics such as persistence, bioaccumulation, and mobility, potentially forming enduring environmental footprints that jeopardize ecosystems. They can persist in the environment for extended periods without degradation, leading to bioaccumulation in organisms and the subsequent risk of reaching harmful concentrations. These substances may enter the human body through various exposure routes, including ingesting contaminated water or food, inhaling air pollutants, and dermal contact with contaminated surfaces. Their persistent nature, mobility, and potential to accumulate in the environment heighten the risks of exposure, intensifying their impact on human health.

开发数学模型以深入了解新污染物在水、土壤和大气生态系统中的迁移和影响，是当前环境污染研究的重点之一。这些模型作为监测网络的重要补充，丰富了我们对新污染物来源、分布和生命周期的理解，影响对新污染物动态的机制与环境因素的见解。通过促进对人类健康和生态系统的全面风险评估，新污染物模型在提供早期预警、预测未来气候情景下的结果以及评估修复技术的有效性方面发挥着关键作用。

机器学习和深度学习等人工智能技术，在应对环境挑战方面大有可为。人工智能可以通过分析复杂数据集，预测污染物行为，完善修复策略，从而提高污染控制措施的效率和有效性。此外，人工智能在监测空气和水体质量、精确定位污染源、预测污染物扩散等方面发挥关键作用，以便迅速展开有针对性的修复行动。此外，人工智能驱动的数字模拟与数字情景再现的修复方法，可评估修复措施，实时监测污染物修复进展，以加强污染管理决策制定与资源分配。

The development of mathematical models to understand the migration and impacts of emerging contaminants in water, soil, and air ecosystems is a current focal point in environmental pollution research. These models serve as valuable complements to monitoring networks, enriching our comprehension of emerging contaminant sources, distributions, and life cycles. They also offer insights into the influencing mechanisms and environmental factors shaping emerging contaminant dynamics. By facilitating comprehensive risk assessments for both human health and ecosystems, emerging contaminant models play a pivotal role in providing early warnings, projecting outcomes under future climate scenarios, and evaluating the efficacy of remediation technologies.

Through the utilization of artificial intelligence technologies, such as machine learning and deep learning, significant progress can be achieved in addressing environmental challenges. Artificial intelligence can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of pollution control measures by analyzing intricate datasets, forecasting contaminant behavior, and refining remediation strategies. Furthermore, artificial intelligence can play a pivotal role in monitoring air and water quality, pinpointing pollution sources, and predicting the dispersion of pollutants to enable prompt and targeted remediation actions. In addition, artificial intelligence-driven digital simulations and digital twins can replicate environmental scenarios, assess remediation approaches, and monitor the success of mitigation efforts to enhance decision-making and resource allocation in pollution management.

对新污染物的认识不断提高促使全球努力制定有效的预防、检测和补救策略（图6）。世界各国已启动政策，鼓励工业和经济部门通过改变其生产过程、操作和材料使用来减少源污染。为解决人造污染物环境积累的全球问题，众多修复技术已被开发，包括挖掘、土壤蒸汽提取等物理技术，以及旨在降解或固定土壤和水体污染物的化学生物处理技术。可持续管理新污染物对于其控制和治理至关重要。应集中精力推进新污染物管理技术，并进行与环境风险评估和有毒有害化学品管理相关的重点研究。应加快对新污染物的生态和环境危害机制的深入研究，投资于研究与新污染物相关的可持续管理战略的新理论和新技术。应建立化学物质环境风险管理信息系统，构建化学物质毒理学计算和暴露预测平台。这些举措对重点污染物的高效控制、早期评估和识别至关重要。此外，绿色和可持续化学、技术和工程方面的创新和教育可以促进更绿色、更可持续的产品和工艺的发展。

The increasing recognition of emerging contaminants has led to global efforts to devise efficient strategies for their prevention, detection, and remediation (Figure 6). Governments worldwide have initiated policies to encourage industries and economic sectors to reduce source pollution by changing their production processes, operations, and material usage. Many remediation technologies have been developed to tackle the urgent global problem of the environmental accumulation of anthropogenic pollutants. These technologies are vital in cleaning up contaminated sites and restoring them to environmentally acceptable conditions. Remediation methods span a spectrum of approaches, including physical techniques like excavation, soil vapour extraction, and chemical and biological treatments designed to degrade or immobilize contaminants in both soil and water. In addressing the challenges of Emerging contaminants, sustainable management plays a pivotal role in their control and governance. Emphasis should be directed to advancing technologies for the management of Emerging contaminants and undertaking critical research on environmental risk assessment and management of toxic and hazardous chemicals. Further research on the ecological and environmental harm mechanisms of Emerging contaminants should be accelerated, and investments should be made in research on new theories and technologies for sustainable management strategies related to emerging contaminants. An environmental risk management information system for chemical substances should be established, and a platform for calculating toxicology and exposure prediction of chemical substances should be built. The early assessment and identification of key pollutants are essential for efficient control. Besides, innovation and education in green and sustainable chemistry, technology, and engineering can promote the generation of greener and more sustainable products and processes.

全球化学品的生产和使用范围不断扩大，需要进行严格的危害评估和管理，以保护公众健康和环境。监管措施和政策在管理化学品的生产、使用和处置方面发挥着关键作用。这些措施旨在平衡工业创新与环境安全，并保护各种生物体的健康。提高公众对新污染物及其来源和潜在影响的认识，促进公众自觉，鼓励公众共同参与污染防治行动。开展教育活动、研讨会和科普活动以引导公众建立对新兴污染物相关环境风险的科学认识，促进更多的绿色消费。

The increasing global production and use of chemicals in a widening range of applications and products requires a strict hazard assessment and management to protect public health and the environment. Regulatory measures and policies, therefore, play a key role in managing the production, use, and disposal of chemicals to minimize potential harm. These measures aim to strike a balance between industrial innovation and the search for environmentally safe chemicals to protect the health of organisms at all biological scales. In addition, by increasing public knowledge and understanding of emerging pollutants, their sources, and potential impacts, we can promote responsible behavior and encourage individuals to make informed choices that contribute to pollution prevention. There is a need to conduct public education through educational campaigns, workshops, and outreach programs on the scientific aspects of emerging contaminants, guiding the public in developing a scientific awareness of the environmental risks associated with emerging contaminants and fostering a commitment to green consumption principles.

系统发现新污染物是环境科学的一个重要目标。早期被认为是安全和惰性的化合物类别，如今不断被证实是突出的污染物。截止目前，注册化学品数量已呈现指数型增长模式（图2），增加了对环境健康的潜在风险。多年来，人们不断发现许多相关化学物质、病原体和(纳米)颗粒等，对它们的归趋和修复进行了深入研究，并将其纳入日常监管和监测。虽然“新污染物”一词是一个短暂分类，但对过去几十年的回顾可以突出化学品出现的驱动因素，并说明从出现到采取进一步行动之间的时间跨度。

The systematic discovery of new contaminants has traditionally been a grand goal of Environmental Sciences. Compound classes that were initially considered safe and inert turned out to be prominent contaminants as more comprehensive evidence emerged. At the same time, the number of chemicals registered by the Chemical Abstract Service is increasing exponentially (Figure 2), augmenting the likelihood of adverse effects and reinforcing efforts to recognize potential pollutants of tomorrow early on 150. Over the years, many relevant chemicals, pathogens, and (nano)particles have been discovered. They subsequently became the subject of in-depth fate and remediation studies before being the equivalent of “usual suspects” and making their way into regulation and routine monitoring efforts. While the term “Emerging Contaminants” is an ephemeral classification, a review of the last decades can highlight the drivers that make chemicals emerge, and illustrate the timespan between emergence and further action.

如果没有全球合作来减轻和预防环境污染，可持续发展将是一个遥不可及的愿景，而不是一个现实可及的目标。尽管治理遗留污染物的法规已经实施，但许多尚未接受监管的化学品和生物实体仍被持续排放至环境中。

A. 化学品在现代社会中扮演着举足轻重的角色，其产量亦在逐年增加。然而，受全球发展需求的限制，对其生产和使用进行规范却显得困难重重。 

B. 由于缺乏透明度，公司对其产品中所使用的成分和含量遮遮掩掩，这无疑增加了识别潜在污染物和评估其对人类健康风险的难度。

C. 面对这些错综复杂的挑战，应需制定因地制宜、因物制宜的补救策略。 

D. 环境污染与气候变化以及其他全球环境问题之间存在着千丝万缕的联系，这构成了一个巨大挑战，需要各方合力才有望解决。 

新产品的不断涌现和使用，导致新污染物源源不断地进入环境。为有效应对这一挑战，我们需要开展深入全面的研究，以明确这些污染物的来源及其对人类健康、生态系统和动物的潜在影响。我们必须拥抱“同一个健康”的理念，将环境保护融入日常生活，倡导减少污染物的政策，并通过全球合作来清除现有污染物。

Achieving sustainable development remains a lofty goal rather than a concrete reality without unified global endeavors to mitigate and prevent environmental pollution. While regulations have been implemented to address legacy contaminants, many unregulated chemicals and biological entities continue to be released into the environment.

A. Chemicals are crucial in modern society, and their production is increasing. However, regulating their production and use is challenging because of the global development framework. 

B. The lack of transparency from companies regarding the ingredients and quantities used in their products complicates the identification of the contaminants people may be exposed to and the potential health risks associated with them. 

C. Tailored remediation strategies, considering specific site conditions and contaminant characteristics, need to be developed to navigate these complex challenges. 

D. The intricate interplay between environmental pollution and climate change and other factors of global environmental change presents a formidable challenge that cannot be tackled in isolation. 

The continuous generation and utilization of new products contribute to the introduction of emerging contaminants into the environment. To confront this challenge effectively, comprehensive research is imperative to understand the sources and potential repercussions of these pollutants on human health, ecosystems, and animals, embracing the One Health approach. Addressing environmental pollution demands a paradigm shift in our lifestyles, advocating for policies geared towards minimizing contaminants and implementing coordinated efforts to tackle existing pollutants through global cooperation.