Persistent Organic Chemicals in the Environment: Status and Trends in the Pacific Basin Countries I Contamination Status

Environmental pollution by man-made Persistent Organic Chemicals (POCs) has been a serious global issue for over half a century. Exposure to POCs may result in health effects, including, endocrine disruption leading to birth defects, intellectual disability, low testosterone, childhood
obesity, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Therefore, POCs have been the subject of intensive regional, national, and international efforts to limit the production, use, and disposal of these chemicals. Since POCs are ubiquitous and recalcitrant, and cause long-term effects
on wildlife and humans, trend monitoring studies are valuable in making clear the behavior and fate of these compounds and to protect our environment and living resources.

The Pacific Basin is a unique geographical region representing tropical, temperate and polar zones. This region is home to two-thirds of the world's population and consists of rapidly growing economies (countries) and highly developed countries. Due to this diversity of climatic and socio-economic
conditions, environment and biota in different countries in this basin have varying degrees of environmental contamination and effects on wildlife and humans. The Pacific Rim countries play a pivotal role in governing global POC contamination and resulting harmful health effects. Because articles on
POCs and their effect on environment and health are published in a large number of different journals, it is useful to have a book that includes original papers and reviews on the latest advances by well-known scientists in the field, especially focusing on the countries in the Pacific Rim. The two
volumes of this book satisfy this need.

Topics covered in Volume 1 include an overview of POCs contamination status and trends in the Pacific Basin Countries; human exposure to brominated flame retardants; POCs in sediments, soil and atmosphere of South Korea; and new research on sequestration and redistribution of emerging and classical
persistent organic pollutants by polystyrene. The collection of chapters in these volumes may serve as a reasonable representation of current and future trends of POCs in the Pacific Basin countries. It is hoped that the book can inspire students and researchers, as well as professionals, to
facilitate the understanding of the environmental and biological behavior of these persistent chemicals and to help in the development of strategies and practices for protecting the global environment for future generations.

Bommanna Loganathan is a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Watershed Studies Institute at Murray State University. His research interests include distribution and temporal trends of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals in the environment and biota. He has authored/co-authored
over 120 publications including, journal articles, conference proceedings and book chapters. He is also a fellow of the American Chemical Society.

Jong Seong Khim is an Associate Professor in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Seoul National University. He is an expert in the fields of Marine Benthic Ecology and Environmental Risk Assessment. His research interests include a broad spectrum of environmental and ecological topics:
biodiversity, bioassays, ecological quality, marine pollution, sediment assessment, and ecosystem services.

Prasada Rao S. Kodavanti is a Senior Research Toxicologist at the US EPA in Research Triangle Park, NC. In this role, he leads a team of scientists developing in vitro models based on adverse outcome pathways for screening and prioritization of chemicals. Dr. Kodavanti is a well-recognized scientist
and has published over 105 peer-reviewed journal articles, 19 book chapters, and 8 review articles.

Shigeki Masunaga is a professor in the Faculty of Environment and Information Sciences at Yokohama National University. He has been conducting research in the field of monitoring of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PCPPs) and metals, behavioral
analysis of those chemicals, and their human health and ecological risk assessment. He has been a member of the American Chemical Society for more than 25 years.