A 20-year bibliometric analysis of emerging contaminant research in China: A comparative perspective from global trends and the POPs forum

IF 8.2 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Emerging Contaminants Pub Date : 2026-09-01 Epub Date: 2026-08-25 DOI:10.1016/j.emcon.2026.100726

Yu Ma, Kaiyuan Ma, Ziyi Lin, Bin Wang, Dan Zhang, Shuo Zheng, Yuxi Ge, Qianxin Zhang, Minghui Zheng, Jianxin Hu, Zheng Peng, Zhongjun Zhu, Gang Yu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

As China transitions toward the systematic risk prevention of emerging contaminants (ECs), understanding its evolving scientific capacity is essential for global environmental governance. This study employs a bibliometric framework to analyze two decades (2006–2025) of proceedings from the Forum on Persistent Organic Pollutants in China (POPs Forum), benchmarking them against global Web of Science data. Results indicate that global EC publications follow a logistic growth pattern with a maturation phase after 2019, whereas the POPs Forum continues to exhibit exponential growth, reflecting sustained domestic research expansion. Network analysis reveals a dual-core global structure dominated by China and the United States (US), with China increasingly acting as a hub between developed and emerging economies. At the institutional level, the POPs Forum demonstrates strong overlap with the most productive domestic research organizations, reflecting its representativeness. Thematic evolution analysis indicates a consistent shift from legacy POPs to ECs, alongside a transition from occurrence-based studies to risk assessment and remediation-oriented research. Overall, the POPs Forum provides a representative lens through which to understand the evolution of EC research in China and its alignment with global trends. Future research is expected to advance toward non-target screening, high-throughput assessment, and integrated risk-based management frameworks.

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中国新兴污染物研究的20年文献计量分析：全球趋势和持久性有机污染物论坛的比较视角

随着中国向新兴污染物（ECs）的系统性风险防范转型，了解中国不断发展的科学能力对全球环境治理至关重要。本研究采用文献计量学框架分析了中国持久性有机污染物论坛（POPs Forum） 20年来（2006-2025年）的会议记录，并将其与全球科学网络数据进行了对比。结果表明，2019年之后，全球持久性有机污染物出版物呈现logistic增长模式，进入成熟期，而持久性有机污染物论坛继续呈现指数增长，反映了国内研究的持续扩张。网络分析揭示了一个由中国和美国主导的双核全球结构，中国日益成为发达经济体和新兴经济体之间的枢纽。在体制一级，持久性有机污染物论坛与最有成效的国内研究组织有很大的重叠，反映了它的代表性。专题演变分析表明，从遗留持久性有机污染物到持久性有机污染物的持续转变，以及从基于事件发生的研究向风险评估和面向补救的研究的转变。总体而言，持久性有机污染物论坛提供了一个有代表性的视角，通过它可以了解中国的持久性有机污染物研究的演变及其与全球趋势的一致性。未来的研究有望朝着非目标筛选、高通量评估和基于风险的综合管理框架的方向发展。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Emerging Contaminants Medicine-Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

CiteScore

10.00

自引率

6.70%

发文量

审稿时长

44 days

期刊介绍： Emerging Contaminants is an outlet for world-leading research addressing problems associated with environmental contamination caused by emerging contaminants and their solutions. Emerging contaminants are defined as chemicals that are not currently (or have been only recently) regulated and about which there exist concerns regarding their impact on human or ecological health. Examples of emerging contaminants include disinfection by-products, pharmaceutical and personal care products, persistent organic chemicals, and mercury etc. as well as their degradation products. We encourage papers addressing science that facilitates greater understanding of the nature, extent, and impacts of the presence of emerging contaminants in the environment; technology that exploits original principles to reduce and control their environmental presence; as well as the development, implementation and efficacy of national and international policies to protect human health and the environment from emerging contaminants.