Impact of Xenobiotics Under a Changing Climate Scenario

Xenobiotics are defined as chemical substances that are found in a given organism but are not produced naturally by that organism. Xenobiotics are found in both organic and inorganic forms and imitate biochemicals that are essential for life. There are two types of xenobiotics, that is, exogenous and endogenous. Some xenobiotic compounds are harmful to human life, plants, and the environment. These compounds are not recognized by any biochemical processes in microorganism and plant species, therefore, they are persistent in nature. Xenobiotics may affect aquatic plants and animals that are adapted to different environmental challenges. Temperature has a large effect on the chemistry of xenobiotic pollutants and it regulates the level of toxicity of xenobiotics. If the temperature increases, then the uptake of pesticides or xenobiotic pollutants may increase due to changes in aeration rate. In this chapter, mainly the impact of xenobiotics is addressed in relation to biotic and abiotic components of the environment and the role of climate change in guiding these impacts. Climate change may lead to alterations in the range of some important environmental parameters, such as temperature, salinity, precipitation, etc., which consequently alter the potential impact of xenobiotics on the environment. The toxicity level of xenobiotics may increase with increasing temperatures resulting in enhanced xenobiotic degradation rates. These xenobiotics coupled with some air pollutants may potentially affect the environment and human health. Climate change may alter the food chain and web, snow and ice melting, lipid dynamics, and nutrient cycling, and it could increase the concentration of xenobiotic pollutants in the environment.