Chemicals of Emerging Arctic Concern in north-western Spitsbergen snow: Distribution and sources

Are ingredients of personal care products likely to undergo long-range transport to remote regions?

Personal care products (PCPs) contain contaminants of emerging concern. Despite increasing reports of their presence in polar regions, the behavior of PCP ingredients under cold environmental conditions remains poorly understood. Snow collected around Villum Research Station at Station Nord, Greenland, between December 2018 and June 2019 was extracted in a stainless steel clean-room and analyzed for seven fragrance materials, four organic UV-filters and an antioxidant using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. All twelve target PCPs were detected, with elevated concentrations during two sampling events potentially tied to air mass transport from northern Europe and the northern coasts of Russia. To contextualize the presence of these PCP chemicals in high Arctic snow, we estimated their (i) partitioning properties as a function of temperature, (ii) equilibrium phase distribution and dominant deposition processes in the atmosphere at temperatures above and below freezing, and (iii) potential for long-range environmental transport (LRET). Even though most PCPs are deemed to be gas phase chemicals predominantly deposited as vapors, rapid atmospheric degradation is expected to limit their LRET. On the other hand, the less volatile octocrylene is expected to be sorbed to atmospheric particles, removed via wet and dry particle deposition, and possibly exhibit a higher potential for LRET by being protected from attack by photooxidants. The contrast between consistent detection of PCP chemicals in high Arctic snow and relatively low estimated LRET potential emphasizes the need for further research on their real-world atmospheric behavior under cold conditions.

The overlooked interaction of emerging contaminants and microbial communities: a threat to ecosystems and public health

CONTEXT AND AIMS

Emerging contaminants (ECs) and microbial communities should not be viewed in isolation, but through the One Health perspective. Both ECs and microorganisms lie at the core of this interconnected framework, as they directly influence the health of humans, animals, and the environment.The interactions between ECs and microbial communities can have profound implications for public health, affecting all three domains. However, these ECs-microorganism interactions remain underexplored, potentially leaving significant public health and ecological risks unrecognized. Therefore, this article seeks to alert the scientific community to the overlooked interactions between ECs and microbial communities, emphasizing the pivotal role these interactions may play in the management of 'One Health.'

RESULTS

The most extensively studied interaction between ECs and microbial communities is biodegradation. However, other more complex and concerning interactions demand attention, such as the impact of ECs on microbial ecology (disruptions in ecosystem balance affecting nutrient and energy cycles) and the rise and spread of antimicrobial resistance (a growing global health crisis). Although these ECs-microbial interactions had not been extensively studied, there are scientific evidence that ECs impact on microbial communities may be concerning for public health and ecosystem balance.

CONCLUSIONS

So, this perspective summarizes the impact of ECs through a One Health lens and underscores the urgent need to understand their influence on microbial communities, while highlighting the key challenges researchers must overcome. Tackling these challenges is vital to mitigate potential long-term consequences for both ecosystems and public health.

Non-targeted analysis and suspect screening of organic contaminants in temperate snowfall using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry

Contaminants released into the atmosphere that undergo regional and long-range transport can deposit back to Earth through snowfall. When snow melts, these contaminants re-enter the environment, sometimes far from their original emission sources. Here we present the first comprehensive characterization of organic contaminants in snow from North America. Fresh snowfall samples were collected in the central United States over a three-year period and measured by liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry for suspect screening and non-targeted analysis. The resulting data set was screened against experimental MS/MS libraries and underwent supplemental in silico MS/MS analysis. In total, 91 possible compounds were tentatively identified in snow, and 17 were successfully confirmed and semi-quantified with reference standards. These contaminants were mostly anthropogenic in origin and included six herbicides, three insect repellants, one insecticide metabolite, and one fungicide. The most prominent compounds present in all samples were N-cyclohexylformamide (known contaminant in tire leachate), DEET (insect repellent), and dimethyl phthalate (plasticizer), with median deposition fluxes of 4032, 284, and 262 ng m-2, respectively. Three additional compounds were detected in 100% of samples: coumarin (phytochemical and fragrance additive), 5-methylbenzotriazole (antifreeze component), and quinoline (heterocyclic aromatic). The Peto-Peto test revealed statistically significant differences in deposition fluxes for these six contaminants (p < 0.05), with weak but statistically significant positive associations between coumarin and DEET and between coumarin and quinoline according to a Kendall's tau correlation analysis. These findings demonstrate the utility of in silico analysis to complement MS/MS matching with experimental databases. Even so, thousands of unidentified features remained in the data set, highlighting the limitations of current strategies in non-targeted analysis of environmental samples.

Distribution, sources, ecological and human health risks of organic ultraviolet filters in coastal waters and beach deposits in Hainan, China

Organic ultraviolet filters (OUVFs) are extensively incorporated into both cosmetic items and industrial products and have been commonly found in water ecosystems. This study aims to examine the environmental levels, sources, ecological and human health risks of 14 commonly used OUVFs both in coastal water and beach deposit samples collected from the nearshore regions of Hainan Island and the South China Sea. This is first study highlighting the contamination of OUVFs in Hainan Island and utilizing economic and tourism data to confirm the potential source of OUVF pollution in costal aquatic and coastal ecosystem. Along the coastal tourist regions of Hainan Island, the median concentrations in coastal waters and beach deposits of these OUVFs fall within the range from 1.2 to 53.2 ng/L and 0.2-17.0 ng/g dw, respectively. In coastal water and beach deposit, the concentration of BP-3 was the highest, with median concentrations of 53.2 ng/L and 17.0 ng/g dw, respectively. Regarding human health risks, the daily intake of all 14 OUVFs through swimming was found to be 40-48 ng/kg/day. Ecological risk assessment indicates that BP-3 presents a medium risk for marine microalgae with a concurrent low risk for corals. The correlation analysis underscores a substantial interrelation of OUVFs in both coastal waters and beach deposits with various economic indicators, including annual rainfall, overnight tourists, total hotel rooms (unit), room occupancy rate, and sewage treatment capacity.

Characteristics and quantification of small microplastics (<100 µm) in seasonal svalbard snow on glaciers and lands

Small microplastics (SMPs < 100 µm) can easily be transported over long distances far from their sources through the atmospheric pathways and reach even remote regions, including the Arctic. However, these sizes of MPs are mostly overlooked due to different analytical challenges; besides, their pathways through atmospheric depositions, such as snow depositions, are mostly unknown. The spatial variability in bulk snow samples was investigated for the first time in distinct sites (e.g., glaciers) near Ny Ålesund, the world-known northernmost permanent research settlement in the Svalbard Islands, to better comprehend the presence of SMP pollution in snow. Seasonal snow deposited over the tundra and the summits of different glaciers were also sampled. A sampling procedure was designed to obtain representative samples while minimizing plastic contamination, thanks to rigorous quality assurance and quality control protocol. SMPs' weight (µg SMP L-1) and deposition load (mg SMPs m-2) result from being lower in the remote glaciers, where they may be subject to long-range transport. The SMPs' minimum length was 20 µm, with the majority less than 100 µm. Regarding their size distribution, there was an increase in the size length deriving from the local input of the human presence near the scientific settlement. The presence of some polymers might be site-specific in relation to the pathways that affect their distribution at the sites studied. Also, from the snow surface layer collected at the same sites to evaluate the variability of SMPs during specific atmospheric deposition events, the results confirmed their higher weight and load in surface snow near the scientific settlement compared to the glaciers. The results will enhance the limited knowledge of the SMPs in polar atmospheric compartments and deposition processes.