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Ahkola H, Äystö L, Sikanen T, Riikonen S, Pihlaja T, Kauppi S. Current uncertainties and challenges of publicly available pharmaceutical environmental risk assessment data. Eur J Pharm Sci 2024; 197:106769. [PMID: 38631463 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2024.106769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Pharmaceutical residues are widely detected in aquatic environment worldwide mainly arising from human excretions in sewage systems. Presently, publicly available, high quality environmental risk assessment (ERA) data for pharmaceuticals are limited. However, databases like the Swedish Fass offer valuable resources aiding healthcare professionals and environmental scientists in identifying substances of significant concern. In this review, we provide a concise overview of the regulatory ERA process for medicinal products intended for human use. We explore its key assumptions and uncertainties using a subset of 37 pharmaceuticals. First, we compare the consistency of their predicted no-effect concentrations reported in the Fass database with those by marketing authorisation holders. Second, we compare the predicted environmental concentrations (PEC) calculated based on sales data between European and national drug consumption statistics as well as with measured environmental concentrations (MEC), to demonstrate their impact on the regional risk quotients. Finally, we briefly discuss the prevailing uncertainties and challenges of current ecotoxicity testing, especially outcomes of chronic and nonlethal effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Ahkola
- Finnish Environment Institute, Latokartanonkaari 11, 00790 Helsinki, Finland.
| | - L Äystö
- Finnish Environment Institute, Latokartanonkaari 11, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - T Sikanen
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Drug Research Program, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5E, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - S Riikonen
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Drug Research Program, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5E, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - T Pihlaja
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Drug Research Program, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5E, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - S Kauppi
- Finnish Environment Institute, Latokartanonkaari 11, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
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Dixit A, Pandey H, Rana R, Kumar A, Herojeet R, Lata R, Mukhopadhyay R, Mukherjee S, Sarkar B. Ecological and human health risk assessment of pharmaceutical compounds in the Sirsa River of Indian Himalayas. Environ Pollut 2024; 347:123668. [PMID: 38442820 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
The Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) region of Indian Himalayas is one of the most important pharmaceutical industrial clusters in Asia. This study investigated the distribution, and ecological and human health risks of four most frequently used pharmaceuticals [ciprofloxacin (CIP), norfloxacin (NOR), cetirizine (CTZ) and citalopram oxalate (ECP)] when co-occurring with metal ions in the Sirsa river water of the BBN region. The concentration range of the selected pharmaceuticals was between 'not detected' to 50 μgL-1 with some exception for CIP (50-100 μgL-1) and CTZ (100-150 μgL-1) in locations directly receiving wastewater discharges. A significant correlation was found between the occurrences of NOR and Al (r2 = 0.65; p = 0.01), and CTZ and K (r2 = 0.50; p = 0.01) and Mg (r2 = 0.50; p = 0.01). A high-level ecological risk [risk quotient (RQ) > 1] was observed for algae from all the pharmaceuticals. A medium-level risk (RQ = 0.01-0.1) was observed for Daphnia from CIP, NOR and ECP, and a high-level risk from CTZ. A low-level risk was observed for fishes from CIP and NOR, whereas CTZ and ECP posed a high-level risk to fishes. The overall risk to ecological receptors was in the order: CTZ > CIP > ECP > NOR. Samples from the river locations receiving water from municipal drains or situated near landfill and pharmaceutical factories exhibited RQ > 1 for all pharmaceuticals. The average hazard quotient (HQ) values for the compounds followed the order: CTZ (0.18) > ECP (0.15) > NOR (0.001) > CIP (0.0003) for children (0-6 years); ECP (0.49) > CTZ (0.29) > NOR (0.005) > CIP (0.001) for children (7-17 years), and ECP (0.34) > CTZ (0.21) > NOR (0.007) > CIP (0.001) for adults (>17 years). The calculated risk values did not readily confirm the status of water as safe or unsafe because the values of predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) would depend on various other environmental factors such as quality of the toxicity data, and species sensitivity and distribution, which warrants further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arohi Dixit
- School of Agriculture Sciences, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, 173229, India; Galgotias College of Engineering and Technology, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201310, India
| | - Himanshu Pandey
- School of Agriculture Sciences, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, 173229, India
| | - Rajiv Rana
- School of Agriculture Sciences, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, 173229, India
| | - Anil Kumar
- School of Agriculture Sciences, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, 173229, India; School of Health Sciences, Amity University Punjab, Mohali, 140306, India
| | - Rajkumar Herojeet
- Department of Environmental Studies, Post Graduate Government College, Sector 11, Chandigarh, India
| | - Renu Lata
- G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Mohal-Kullu, 175126, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Raj Mukhopadhyay
- Department of Chemistry, Mellon College of Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, 15213, United States; Division of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, 132001, India
| | - Santanu Mukherjee
- School of Agriculture Sciences, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, 173229, India.
| | - Binoy Sarkar
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA14YQ, United Kingdom; Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia.
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3
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Cui X, Yang T, Li Z, Nowack B. Meta-analysis of the hazards of microplastics in freshwaters using species sensitivity distributions. J Hazard Mater 2024; 463:132919. [PMID: 37944233 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The environmental hazards of microplastics have raised concerns about their potential ecological risks. However, our understanding of the true risks may be limited because most laboratory studies used pristine microplastics. Here, we analyzed the available literature about ecotoxicological effects of microplastics, including weathered microplastics in particular, on freshwater biota and performed probabilistic species sensitivity distributions. The predicted no-effect concentrations for pristine microplastics were lower than those for weathered microplastics, both in mass concentration (6.1 and 4.8 × 102 μg/L) and number concentration (2.6 × 104 and 2.0 × 106 part/m3). In addition, the toxicological studies on microplastics contains often inconsistent and inconclusive information due to the complexity of the microplastics and the employed exposure conditions. The available data for Daphnia magna and Danio rerio was analyzed in detail to understand the effects of microplastic size, shape and polymer type on their ecotoxicity. Microplastic size was the biggest driving factor, followed by shape and polymer type. There was a tendency for increasing toxicity with smaller size, however, a high variability of effect data was observed for small microplastics. This study provided further insights into the effect thresholds for ecological risk assessment of microplastics and the effects of microplastic characteristics on toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoying Cui
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China; Technology and Society Laboratory, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Tong Yang
- Technology and Society Laboratory, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Zhengyan Li
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China; Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education of China, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.
| | - Bernd Nowack
- Technology and Society Laboratory, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland
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Zhang J, Tao H, Shi J, Ge H, Li B, Wang Y, Zhang M, Li X. Deriving aquatic PNECs of endocrine disruption effects for PFOS and PFOA by combining species sensitivity weighted distributions and adverse outcome pathway networks. Chemosphere 2024; 346:140583. [PMID: 37918539 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), as emerging endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), pose adverse effects on aquatic organisms. Conventional ecological risk assessment (ERA) not fully considering the mode of toxicity action of PFOS and PFOA, may result in an underestimation of risks and confuse decision-makers. In the study, we developed species sensitivity weighted distribution (SSWD) models based on adverse outcome pathway (AOP) networks for deriving predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs). Three kinds of weighting criteria (intraspecies variation, trophic level abundance, and data quality) and weighted log-normal distribution methods were adopted. The developed models considered the inter/intraspecies variation and integrated nontraditional endpoints of endocrine-disrupting effects. The PNECs of endocrine disruption effects were derived as 2.52 μg/L (95% confidence intervals 0.667-9.85 μg/L) for PFOS and 18.7 μg/L (5.40-71.0 μg/L) for PFOA, which were more conservative than those derived from the SSD method and were comparable with the values in the literature based on the chronic toxicity data. For PFOS, the effect of growth and development was the most sensitive; however, for PFOA, the effect of reproduction was the most sensitive in the effects of growth and development, reproduction, biochemistry and genetics, and survival. The endocrine-disrupting effects of PFOS and PFOA are significant and need to be fully recognized in the ERA. This study provided an ERA framework that can improve the ecological relevance and reduce the uncertainty of PNECs of EDCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China; Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Huanyu Tao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China; Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jianghong Shi
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Hui Ge
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Bin Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Yunhe Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Mengtao Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China; Institute of Environment and Ecology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Xiaoyan Li
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
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5
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Zhang J, Ge H, Shi J, Tao H, Li B, Yu X, Zhang M, Xu Z, Xiao R, Li X. A tiered probabilistic approach to assess antibiotic ecological and resistance development risks in the fresh surface waters of China. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2022; 243:114018. [PMID: 36037634 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.114018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to antibiotics can result in not only ecotoxicity on aquatic organisms but also the development of antibiotic resistance. In the study, the ecotoxicity data and minimum inhibitory concentrations of the antibiotics were screened to derive predicted no-effect concentrations of ecological (PNECeco) and resistance development risks (PNECres) for 36 antibiotics in fresh surface waters of China. The derived PNECeco and PNECres values were ranged from 0.00175 to 2351 μg/L and 0.037-50 μg/L, respectively. Antibiotic ecological and resistance development risks were geographically widespread, especially in the Yongding River, Daqing River, and Ziya River basins of China. Based on the risk quotients, 11 and 14 of 36 target antibiotics were at high ecological risks and high resistance development risks in at least one basin, respectively. The higher tiered assessments provided more detailed risk descriptions by probability values and β-lactams (penicillin and amoxicillin) were present at the highest levels for ecological and resistance development risks. Although there was uncertainty based on the limited data and existing methods, this study can indicate the overall situation of the existing risk levels and provide essential insights and data supporting antibiotic management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hui Ge
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jianghong Shi
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Huanyu Tao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Bin Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xiangyi Yu
- Solid Waste and Chemicals Management Center of Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Mengtao Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Zonglin Xu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Ruijie Xiao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xiaoyan Li
- Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
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Chu L, He W, Xu F, Tong Y, Xu F. Ecological risk assessment of toxic metal(loid)s for land application of sewage sludge in China. Sci Total Environ 2022; 836:155549. [PMID: 35490816 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Sewage sludge, including those after biological or thermochemical treatments, has the potential to be used as fertilizers for recycle of resources. However, its potential ecological risk is also of great concern to policy making. This study employed comprehensive ecological risk assessment (ERA) methods to evaluate the risk caused by the toxic metal(loid)s in sewage sludge throughout China. The conventional geo-accumulation index and potential ecological risk index revealed that cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) were of significant concern in treating sewage sludge before land application, but chromium (Cr) and zinc (Zn) were preferred by potential affected proportion (PAF) and overall risk probability (ORP) of species sensitivity distribution (SSD). Because SSD considered both the community and the ecotoxicity of toxic metal(loid)s, it was more advantageous and promising in assessing ecological risks caused by land application of sewage sludge. Based on the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) of toxic metal(loid) calculated by hazardous concentration that cause death of 50% of species (HC50) by SSD, the maximum allowable disposal amount (MADA) of sewage sludge in the whole China indicated that chromium (Cr) should be totally eliminated because of its high risks in the present background soil. After excluding Cr, the MADA of sewage sludge in China was 3.24 × 106 t and 6.47 × 107 t under land application scenarios with high and low ecological risks, respectively. Additionally, the MADA could be increased by mixing sewage sludge with deeper soil in wider areas. This study emphasized that local laws and regulations on land application of sewage sludge and the subsequent ERA system need to be addressed in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liquan Chu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Water Resources & Environmental Engineering, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Wei He
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Water Resources & Environmental Engineering, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Fuliu Xu
- MOE Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Process, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yindong Tong
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Fuqing Xu
- School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710049, China
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Pham HH, Lohne HP, Arild Ø, Schlenk D, Pampanin DM. Modeling of Environmental Fate and Effects of Oil Leakages from Abandoned Subsea Wells Using an Environmental Impact Factor Tool. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021; 17:626-638. [PMID: 33448625 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Potential environmental consequences of oil leakages (i.e., continuous uncontrolled releases at low flow rate over a long period of time) need to be taken into consideration in the ongoing development of plug and abandonment (P&A) activities on the Norwegian continental shelf. Regulations of P&A wells employ a "zero leakage" target; however, environmental risk monitoring strategies for permanent abandonment are not yet in place. Predicting and estimating the consequences of adverse environmental impacts through a modeling approach can play a key role in evaluating and monitoring environmental risk. In this paper, we present a modeling study of the fate and effects of an oil leakage from abandoned wells using a theoretical scenario on the Norwegian continental shelf. Environmental impact factors (EIFs) derived from the Dose related Risk and Effect Assessment Model (DREAM), previously designed to characterize the effects of produced water discharges, were used to assess impacts of leakages from abandoned wells. Exposure assessments for the EIFs were modified to include specific hydrocarbon contributions derived from different sized oil droplets from the leakages. Because DREAM is not generally used for chronic low-rate oil releases, an update of the database with chronic predicted no-effect concentrations, as input data for effects modeling, was conducted. In general, EIFs became stable after simulations of 30 d. The area from the release site and up to a few hundred meters southward had the most locations of high impact. Chronic exposure and effects on organisms potentially occurred as a steady-state effect over a long period. Risks, at which more than 95% of species will be negatively affected, appeared surrounding the release site, indicating a need for mitigation measures. These results show that the EIF tool can be used for risk management and P&A regulation by identifying potentially harmful leakages. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;17:626-638. © 2021 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Øystein Arild
- University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
- Norwegian Research Centre, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Daniel Schlenk
- University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
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Sunday MO, Jadoon WA, Ayeni TT, Iwamoto Y, Takeda K, Imaizumi Y, Arakaki T, Sakugawa H. Heterogeneity and potential aquatic toxicity of hydrogen peroxide concentrations in selected rivers across Japan. Sci Total Environ 2020; 733:139349. [PMID: 32446084 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a reactive oxygen species formed in natural water. It is reportedly toxic to aquatic organisms with a predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) of about 380 nM. In this study, a countrywide investigation of H2O2 concentrations in selected rivers across Japan was conducted to identify rivers that pose toxicity concerns. Twelve rivers with a total catchment area of 13,646 km2 were selected from different prefectures. Spatial and temporal variation studies showed that the H2O2 concentrations (avg. 320 nM, n = 111) varied by two orders of magnitude (range 21-2929 nM) across the rivers. The Yamato River in Osaka and Nara prefectures and the Kokubu River in Chiba Prefecture had the highest concentrations at 276-669 nM and 236-2929 nM, respectively. >75% of the data from the two rivers were either close to or exceeded the PNEC. Most of the results for the other rivers were less than the PNEC. There was a clear seasonal variation in the H2O2 concentrations, with the highest values obtained in summer because of high solar irradiation. The H2O2 concentration had the highest positive correlation (r = 0.61, p < 0.01, n = 111) with the product of dissolved organic carbon and solar radiation intensity, which suggests that these two factors in combination are important in determining the H2O2 concentrations in river water. It was also observed that bigger rivers had lower H2O2 concentration and vice-versa. This shows that the size of a river may influence its H2O2 concentration. This study is the first countrywide survey of H2O2 concentrations in different rivers and evaluation of their relationship with the PNEC. The data provide insight on the factors influencing the concentrations of H2O2 in river water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Oluwatoyin Sunday
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8521, Japan; Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Technology, Akure, P.M.B 704, Ondo State, Nigeria.
| | - Waqar Azeem Jadoon
- Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8521, Japan; Department of Environmental Sciences, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan
| | - Taiwo Tolulope Ayeni
- Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8521, Japan
| | - Yoko Iwamoto
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8521, Japan; Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8521, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Takeda
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8521, Japan; Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8521, Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Imaizumi
- National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan
| | - Takemitsu Arakaki
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus 1 Senbaru, Nishihara 903-0213, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Sakugawa
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8521, Japan; Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8521, Japan.
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9
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Wigger H, Kawecki D, Nowack B, Adam V. Systematic Consideration of Parameter Uncertainty and Variability in Probabilistic Species Sensitivity Distributions. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020; 16:211-222. [PMID: 31535755 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The calculation of a species sensitivity distribution (SSD) is a commonly accepted approach to derive the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) of a substance in the context of environmental risk assessment. The SSD approach usually is data demanding and incorporates a large number of ecotoxicological values from different experimental studies. The probabilistic SSD (PSSD) approach is able to fully consider the variability between different exposure conditions and material types, which is of great importance when constructing an SSD for any chemical, especially for nanomaterials. The aim of our work was to further develop the PSSD approach by implementing methods to better consider the uncertainty and variability of the input data. We incorporated probabilistic elements to consider the uncertainty associated with uncertainty factors by using probability distributions instead of single values. The new PSSD method (named "PSSD+") computes 10 000 PSSDs based on a Monte Carlo routine. For each PSSD calculated, the hazardous concentration for 5% of species (HC5 ) was extracted to provide a PNEC distribution based on all data available and their associated uncertainty. The PSSD+ approach also includes the option to consider a species weighting according to a typically constituted biome. We applied this PSSD+ approach to a previously published data set on C nanotubes and Ag nanoparticles. The evaluation of the uncertainty factor distributions and species weighting have shown that the proposed PSSD method is robust with respect to the calculation of the PNEC value. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the PSSD+ can handle both small and more comprehensive data sets because the PNEC distributions are a close representation of the data available. Finally, the sensitivity testing toward data set variations showed that the maximum variation of the mean PNEC was of a factor of about 2, so that the method is relatively insensitive to missing data points as long as the most sensitive species is included. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:211-222. © 2019 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henning Wigger
- Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Technology and Society Laboratory, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Delphine Kawecki
- Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Technology and Society Laboratory, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Bernd Nowack
- Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Technology and Society Laboratory, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Véronique Adam
- Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Technology and Society Laboratory, St. Gallen, Switzerland
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Lee MS, Lee JH, An YJ, Park CH, Lee SH, Park JH, Lee JK, Park TJ. Development of water quality criteria for arsenic to protect aquatic life based on species sensitivity distribution. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2020; 189:109933. [PMID: 31757511 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.109933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic is a hazardous environmental pollutant widely distributed globally. Arsenic toxicity is well known and it is regulated by many countries in terms of managing water quality and protecting aquatic organisms. Unfortunately, water quality criterion (WQC) to protect aquatic organisms has not been introduced in Korea yet. Thus, it is of great importance and necessity to introduce WQC to protect aquatic organisms from arsenic, as WQC play a significant role in protecting aquatic ecosystems from pollutants. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to derive arsenic water quality criterion for aquatic life in Korea. Arsenic acute toxicity tests were performed with 10 Korean native aquatic species, which belong to 7 different taxonomic groups. Based on the results of acute toxicity test and additional toxicity data from literature, the species sensitivity distribution (SSD) method was used in ecological risk assessment. The arsenic concentration of 95% protection level for aquatic life was 0.229 mg L-1 in this study. An assessment factor 3 and a background concentration 0.0004 mg L-1 were applied to the concentration value in consideration of the uncertainty of the data and the amount of arsenic natural generation. Consequently, the WQC value derived for arsenic was found to be 0.077 mg L-1. These results will serve as reference values to establish water quality criterion for the protection of aquatic life in Korea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myung-Sung Lee
- Water Environmental Engineering Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Environmental Research Complex, Hwangyeong-ro 42, Seo-gu, Incheon, 22689, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Hyun Lee
- EH R&C, 114, A-dong, Environmental Industry Research Park, Jeongseojin-ro 410, Incheon, 22689, Republic of Korea
| | - Youn-Joo An
- Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05029, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang-Hee Park
- Water Environmental Chemistry Research Division, Yeongsan River Environmental Research Center, Cheomdangwagi-ro 208-5, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 61011, Republic of Korea
| | - Soo-Hyung Lee
- Water Supply and Sewerage Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Environmental Research Complex, Hwangyeong-ro 42, Seo-gu, Incheon, 22689, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Hyoung Park
- Water Environmental Engineering Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Environmental Research Complex, Hwangyeong-ro 42, Seo-gu, Incheon, 22689, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Kwan Lee
- Water Environmental Engineering Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Environmental Research Complex, Hwangyeong-ro 42, Seo-gu, Incheon, 22689, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-Jin Park
- Water Environmental Engineering Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Environmental Research Complex, Hwangyeong-ro 42, Seo-gu, Incheon, 22689, Republic of Korea.
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11
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Guo Q, Wei D, Zhao H, Du Y. Predicted no-effect concentrations determination and ecological risk assessment for benzophenone-type UV filters in aquatic environment. Environ Pollut 2020; 256:113460. [PMID: 31685328 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Benzophenones (BPs), a group of widely used ultraviolet filters, have been frequently detected out in multiple environment matrices even in organism bodies. Although a variety of toxicological effects of BPs have been disclosed recently, it is barely to evaluate the potential ecological risk of BPs due to lack of reference criteria. Therefore, the determination of predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) values is necessary for assessing ecological risk of BPs and for protecting safety of aquatic organisms. The toxicological data of 14 BPs from both in vivo tests on aquatic organisms and in vitro tests on strains/cell lines were collected from previous reports, and two methods including assessment factor (AF) and species sensitivity distribution (SSD) were applied to calculate PNECs, respectively. Four groups of PNECs were obtained and compared, a final PNEC value was recommended for each BP based on reliable and conservative consideration. With these PNECs values, the risk quotients of 8 BPs from 35 ambient freshwater samples were calculated, the results demonstrated that 3 BPs including 2,2',4,4'-tetrahydroxyl-BP, 2-hydroxyl-4-methoxyl- BP, and 2-hydroxyl-4-methoxyl-5-sulfonic acid-BP exhibited high ecological risk, and the ecological risk posed by BPs in River Tiff in UK was great. It is anticipated that these results would provide useful reference for assessing and managing BP-type compounds, and for selecting toxicity data and methods to derive PNECs for emerging contaminants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaorong Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Dongbin Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Huimin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yuguo Du
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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Gredelj A, Barausse A, Grechi L, Palmeri L. Deriving predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs) for emerging contaminants in the river Po, Italy, using three approaches: Assessment factor, species sensitivity distribution and AQUATOX ecosystem modelling. Environ Int 2018; 119:66-78. [PMID: 29935425 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Revised: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Over the past decades, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) found in environmental matrices worldwide have raised concerns due to their toxicity, ubiquity and persistence. A widespread pollution of groundwater and surface waters caused by PFASs in Northern Italy has been recently discovered, becoming a major environmental issue, also because the exact risk for humans and nature posed by this contamination is unclear. Here, the Po River in Northern Italy was selected as a study area to assess the ecological risk posed by perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), a class of PFASs, considering the noticeable concentration of various PFAAs detected in the Po waters over the past years. Moreover, the Po has a large environmental and socio-economic importance: it is the largest Italian river and drains a densely inhabited, intensely cultivated and heavily industrialized watershed. Predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs) were derived using two regulated methodologies, assessment factors (AFs) and species sensitivity distribution (SSD), which rely on published ecotoxicological laboratory tests. Results were compared to those of a novel methodology using the mechanistic ecosystem model AQUATOX to compute PNECs in an ecologically-sound manner, i.e. considering physical, chemical, biological and ecological processes in the river. The model was used to quantify how the biomasses of the modelled taxa in the river food web deviated from natural conditions due to varying inputs of the chemicals. PNEC for each chemical was defined as the lowest chemical concentration causing a non-negligible yearly biomass loss for a simulated taxon with respect to a control simulation. The investigated PFAAs were Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as long-chained compounds, and Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) and Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) as short-chained homologues. Two emerging contaminants, Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate (LAS) and triclosan, were also studied to assess the performance of the three methodologies for chemicals whose ecotoxicology and environmental fate are well-studied. The most precautionary approach was the use of AFs generally followed by SSD and then AQUATOX, except for PFOS, for which AQUATOX yielded a much lower PNEC compared to the other approaches since, unlike the other two methodologies, it explicitly simulates sublethal toxicity and indirect ecological effects. Our findings highlight that neglecting the role of ecological processes when extrapolating from laboratory tests to ecosystems can result in under-protective threshold concentrations for chemicals. Ecosystem models can complement existing laboratory-based methodologies, and the use of multiple methods for deriving PNECs can help to clarify uncertainty in ecological risk estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Gredelj
- Environmental Systems Analysis Lab (LASA) Research Group, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, via Marzolo 9, 35131 Padova, Italy.
| | - Alberto Barausse
- Environmental Systems Analysis Lab (LASA) Research Group, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, via Marzolo 9, 35131 Padova, Italy.
| | - Laura Grechi
- Environmental Systems Analysis Lab (LASA) Research Group, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, via Marzolo 9, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Luca Palmeri
- Environmental Systems Analysis Lab (LASA) Research Group, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, via Marzolo 9, 35131 Padova, Italy
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Castro VL, Clemente Z, Jonsson C, Silva M, Vallim JH, de Medeiros AMZ, Martinez DST. Nanoecotoxicity assessment of graphene oxide and its relationship with humic acid. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018; 37:1998-2012. [PMID: 29608220 DOI: 10.1002/etc.4145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Revised: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The risk assessment of nanomaterials is essential for regulatory purposes and for sustainable nanotechnological development. Although the application of graphene oxide has been widely exploited, its environmental risk is not well understood because several environmental conditions can affect its behavior and toxicity. In the present study, the graphene oxide effect from aquatic ecosystems was assessed considering the interaction with humic acid on 9 organisms: Raphidocelis subcapitata (green algae), Lemna minor (aquatic plant), Lactuca sativa (lettuce), Daphnia magna (planktonic microcrustacean), Artemia salina (brine shrimp), Chironomus sancticaroli (Chironomidae), Hydra attenuata (freshwater polyp), and Caenorhabditis elegans and Panagrolaimus sp. (nematodes). The no-observed-effect concentration (NOEC) was calculated for each organism. The different criteria used to calculate NOEC values were transformed and plotted as a log-logistic function. The hypothetical 5 to 50% hazardous concentration values were, respectively, 0.023 (0.005-0.056) and 0.10 (0.031-0.31) mg L-1 for graphene oxide with and without humic acid, respectively. The safest scenario associated with the predicted no-effect concentration values for graphene oxide in the aquatic compartment were estimated as 20 to 100 μg L-1 (in the absence of humic acid) and 5 to 23 μg L-1 (in the presence of humic acid). Finally, the present approach contributed to the risk assessment of graphene oxide-based nanomaterials and the establishment of nano-regulations. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:1998-2012. © 2018 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera L Castro
- Laboratory of Ecotoxicology and Biosafety, Embrapa Environment, Jaguariúna, São Paulo, Brazil
- Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture (CENA), University of São Paulo (USP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Zaira Clemente
- Laboratory of Ecotoxicology and Biosafety, Embrapa Environment, Jaguariúna, São Paulo, Brazil
- Brazilian National Nanotechnology Laboratory (LNNano), Brazilian Center for Research on Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Claudio Jonsson
- Laboratory of Ecotoxicology and Biosafety, Embrapa Environment, Jaguariúna, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mariana Silva
- Laboratory of Aquatic Ecosystems, Embrapa Environment, Jaguariúna, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - José Henrique Vallim
- Laboratory of Ecotoxicology and Biosafety, Embrapa Environment, Jaguariúna, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Aline Maria Zigiotto de Medeiros
- Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture (CENA), University of São Paulo (USP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
- Brazilian National Nanotechnology Laboratory (LNNano), Brazilian Center for Research on Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Diego Stéfani T Martinez
- Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture (CENA), University of São Paulo (USP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
- Brazilian National Nanotechnology Laboratory (LNNano), Brazilian Center for Research on Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
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Zheng L, Zhang Y, Yan Z, Zhang J, Li L, Zhu Y, Zhang Y, Zheng X, Wu J, Liu Z. Derivation of predicted no-effect concentration and ecological risk for atrazine better based on reproductive fitness. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2017; 142:464-470. [PMID: 28458230 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2017] [Revised: 04/02/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Atrazine (ATZ) is an herbicide most commonly used in China and other regions of the world. It is reported toxic to aquatic organisms, and frequently occurs at relatively high concentrations. Currently, ATZ has been proved to affect reproduction of aquatic species at much lower levels. So it is controversial to perform ecological risk assessment using predicted no-effect concentrations (PENCs) derived from traditional endpoints, which fail to provide adequate protection to aquatic organisms. In this study, PNECs of ATZ were derived based on six endpoints of survival, growth, behavior, biochemistry, genetics and reproduction. The PNEC derived from reproductive lesion was 0.044μg ATZ L-1, which was obviously lower than that derived from other endpoints. In addition, a tiered ecological risk assessment was conducted in the Taizi River based on six PNECs derived from six categories of toxicity endpoints. Results of these two methods of ecological risk assessment were consistent with each other, and the risk level of ATZ to aquatic organisms reached highest as taking reproductive fitness into account. The joint probability indicated that severe ecological risk rooting in reproduction might exist 93.9% and 99.9% of surface water in the Taizi River, while 5% threshold (HC5) and 1% threshold (HC1) were set up to protect aquatic organisms, respectively. We hope the present work could provide valuable information to manage and control ATZ pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; College of Water Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yizhang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Zhenguang Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
| | - Juan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Linlin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; College of Water Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yan Zhu
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China
| | - Yahui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Xin Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Jiangyue Wu
- National Marine Hazard Mitigation Service, State Oceanic Administration People's Republic of China, Beijing 100194, China
| | - Zhengtao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
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15
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King OC, van de Merwe JP, McDonald JA, Leusch FDL. Concentrations of levonorgestrel and ethinylestradiol in wastewater effluents: Is the progestin also cause for concern? Environ Toxicol Chem 2016; 35:1378-85. [PMID: 26554634 DOI: 10.1002/etc.3304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Revised: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic hormones have been widely reported in treated sewage effluents, and consequently receiving aquatic environments. Ethinylestradiol (EE2) is a potent synthetic estrogen commonly used in conjunction with levonorgestrel in oral contraceptive pills. Both EE2 and levonorgestrel have been identified in the aquatic environment, but although there is a significant amount of literature on EE2, there is much less information on levonorgestrel. Using Australian prescription data as well as excretion and predicted wastewater removal rates, the concentrations of EE2 and levonorgestrel in Australian wastewater were calculated at 0.1 ng/L to 0.5 ng/L and 0.2 ng/L to 0.6 ng/L, respectively. Both compounds were analyzed in treated wastewater and surface water grab samples from 3 Southeast Queensland, Australia sites. The predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) for EE2 of 0.1 ng/L was exceeded at most sites, with EE2 concentrations up to 2 ng/L in treated effluent, albeit quickly diluted to 0.1 ng/L to 0.2 ng/L in the receiving environment. A provisional PNEC for levonorgestrel of 0.1 ng/L derived in the present study was slightly lower than predicted effluent concentrations of 0.2 ng/L to 0.6 ng/L, indicating a potential risk of endocrine-related effects in exposed aquatic species. The detection limit for levonorgestrel in the present study was 2.5 ng/L, and all samples were below detection limit. The present study's results suggest that improvements in analytical capabilities for levonorgestrel are warranted to more accurately quantify the risk of this compound in the receiving environment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1378-1385. © 2015 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia C King
- Smart Water Research Centre, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Southport, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jason P van de Merwe
- Smart Water Research Centre, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Southport, Queensland, Australia
| | - James A McDonald
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Frederic D L Leusch
- Smart Water Research Centre, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Southport, Queensland, Australia
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16
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Wang Y, Wang J, Mu J, Wang Z, Cong Y, Yao Z, Lin Z. Aquatic predicted no-effect concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their ecological risks in surface seawater of Liaodong Bay, China. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016; 35:1587-1593. [PMID: 26517571 DOI: 10.1002/etc.3295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2015] [Revised: 07/13/2015] [Accepted: 10/27/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a class of ubiquitous pollutants in marine environments, exhibit moderate to high adverse effects on aquatic organisms and humans. However, the lack of PAH toxicity data for aquatic organism has limited evaluation of their ecological risks. In the present study, aquatic predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs) of 16 priority PAHs were derived based on species sensitivity distribution models, and their probabilistic ecological risks in seawater of Liaodong Bay, Bohai Sea, China, were assessed. A quantitative structure-activity relationship method was adopted to achieve the predicted chronic toxicity data for the PNEC derivation. Good agreement for aquatic PNECs of 8 PAHs based on predicted and experimental chronic toxicity data was observed (R(2) = 0.746), and the calculated PNECs ranged from 0.011 µg/L to 205.3 µg/L. A significant log-linear relationship also existed between the octanol-water partition coefficient and PNECs derived from experimental toxicity data (R(2) = 0.757). A similar order of ecological risks for the 16 PAH species in seawater of Liaodong Bay was found by probabilistic risk quotient and joint probability curve methods. The individual high ecological risk of benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, and benz[a]anthracene needs to be determined. The combined ecological risk of PAHs in seawater of Liaodong Bay calculated by the joint probability curve method was 13.9%, indicating a high risk as a result of co-exposure to PAHs. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1587-1593. © 2015 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wang
- Key Laboratory for Ecological Environment in Coastal Areas, National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, China
| | - Juying Wang
- Key Laboratory for Ecological Environment in Coastal Areas, National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, China
| | - Jingli Mu
- Key Laboratory for Ecological Environment in Coastal Areas, National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, China
| | - Zhen Wang
- Key Laboratory for Ecological Environment in Coastal Areas, National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, China
| | - Yi Cong
- Key Laboratory for Ecological Environment in Coastal Areas, National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, China
| | - Ziwei Yao
- Key Laboratory for Ecological Environment in Coastal Areas, National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, China
| | - Zhongsheng Lin
- Key Laboratory for Ecological Environment in Coastal Areas, National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, China
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17
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Manfra L, Tornambè A, Savorelli F, Rotini A, Canepa S, Mannozzi M, Cicero AM. Ecotoxicity of diethylene glycol and risk assessment for marine environment. J Hazard Mater 2015; 284:130-135. [PMID: 25463226 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2014.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2014] [Revised: 10/16/2014] [Accepted: 11/12/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Diethylene glycol (DEG) is a chemical compound used during offshore oil activities to prevent hydrate formation, and it may be released into the sea. A full ecotoxicological characterization is required according to European and Italian regulations for chemical substances. We have evaluated long-term toxic effects of DEG on indicator species of the marine environment as algae (Phaeodactylum tricornutum), crustaceans (Artemia franciscana), molluscs (Tapes philippinarum) and fish (Dicentrarchus labrax). A range of no observed effect concentrations (365-25,000 mg/L) has been identified. Based on the toxicity results and the ratio between predicted environmental concentration and predicted no-effect concentration, we have estimated the maximum allowable value of DEG in the marine environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Manfra
- Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy.
| | - A Tornambè
- Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
| | - F Savorelli
- Regional Agency for Environmental Protection in Emilia-Romagna, ARPA ER, Ferrara, Italy
| | - A Rotini
- University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - S Canepa
- Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
| | - M Mannozzi
- Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
| | - A M Cicero
- Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
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18
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Du M, Wei D, Tan Z, Lin A, Du Y. Predicted no-effect concentrations for mercury species and ecological risk assessment for mercury pollution in aquatic environment. J Environ Sci (China) 2015; 28:74-80. [PMID: 25662241 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2014.06.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2014] [Revised: 06/03/2014] [Accepted: 06/04/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) exists in different chemical forms presenting varied toxic potentials. It is necessary to explore an ecological risk assessment method for different mercury species in aquatic environment. The predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs) for Hg(II) and methyl mercury (MeHg) in the aqueous phase, calculated using the species sensitivity distribution method and the assessment factor method, were 0.39 and 6.5×10(-3)μg/L, respectively. The partition theory of Hg between sediment and aqueous phases was considered, along with PNECs for the aqueous phase to conduct an ecological risk assessment for Hg in the sediment phase. Two case studies, one in China and one in the Western Black Sea, were conducted using these PNECs. The toxicity of mercury is heavily dependent on their forms, and their potential ecological risk should be respectively evaluated on the basis of mercury species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Du
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Water Quality Monitoring Center of Beijing Waterworks Group Company Limited, Beijing 100192, China.
| | - Dongbin Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
| | - Zhuowei Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Aiwu Lin
- Water Quality Monitoring Center of Beijing Waterworks Group Company Limited, Beijing 100192, China
| | - Yuguo Du
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
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Du M, Wei D, Tan Z, Lin A, Du Y. The potential risk assessment for different arsenic species in the aquatic environment. J Environ Sci (China) 2015; 27:1-8. [PMID: 25597657 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2014.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2014] [Revised: 03/21/2014] [Accepted: 04/09/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The different toxicity characteristics of arsenic species result in discrepant ecological risk. The predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs) 43.65, 250.18, and 2.00×10(3)μg/L were calculated for As(III), As(V), and dimethylarsinic acid in aqueous phase, respectively. With these PNECs, the ecological risk from arsenic species in Pearl River Delta in China and Kwabrafo stream in Ghana was evaluated. It was found that the risk from As(III) and As(V) in the samples from Pearl River Delta was low, while much high in Kwabrafo stream. This study implies that ecological risk of arsenic should be evaluated basing on its species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Du
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China E-mail: ; Water Quality Monitoring Center of Beijing Waterworks Group Company Limited, Beijing 100192, China.
| | - Dongbin Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China E-mail: .
| | - Zhuowei Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China E-mail:
| | - Aiwu Lin
- Water Quality Monitoring Center of Beijing Waterworks Group Company Limited, Beijing 100192, China
| | - Yuguo Du
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China E-mail:
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He W, Qin N, Kong XZ, Liu WX, He QS, Wang QM, Yang C, Jiang YJ, Yang B, Wu WJ, Xu FL. Water quality benchmarking (WQB) and priority control screening (PCS) of persistent toxic substances (PTSs) in China: necessity, method and a case study. Sci Total Environ 2014; 472:1108-1120. [PMID: 24361746 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.11.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2013] [Revised: 11/20/2013] [Accepted: 11/21/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The priority control screening (PCS) and water quality benchmarking (WQB) of toxic chemicals in water are key steps to ensure the safety of drinking water and aquatic ecosystem that is the crucial goal of water environment management. Owing to the different levels of social-economic development in different countries and regions, the PCS and WQB of toxic chemicals must be determined in accordance with their specific water environment situations. However, in China, the PCS and WQB of toxic chemicals in water were mainly introduced from the other countries. A method for the PCS and WQB of toxic chemicals in water based on the ecological risks was proposed, and a platform named Bayesian Matbugs Calculator (BMC) was developed. As a case study, the WQB and PCS of sixty-nine PTSs based their ecological risks were performed on the basis of one-year monthly monitoring in Lake Chaohu. The results showed that the current national water quality criteria (WQC) would underestimate the toxicological risk to organisms in this aquatic ecosystem. It appears necessary to develop new WQC for the protection of aquatic organisms in Lake Chaohu. Four grades of priority control chemicals (PCCs) in Lake Chaohu were proposed. The highest priority was assigned to organonitrogen-phosphorus pesticides, including parathion, dichlorvos, malathion, omethoate, and di-n-butyl phthalate. However, the national "blacklist" of toxic compounds only covered 7 of 20 PCCs, indicating that the other 13 PCCs would not be controlled efficiently. Because the pollution pattern of PTSs in various water bodies might be quite different, we appealed to the governments to screen the regional PPC lists or develop a more comprehensive national list for aquatic ecosystem protection in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei He
- Ministry of Education Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | - Ning Qin
- Ministry of Education Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | - Xiang-Zhen Kong
- Ministry of Education Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | - Wen-Xiu Liu
- Ministry of Education Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | - Qi-Shuang He
- Ministry of Education Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | - Qing-Mei Wang
- Ministry of Education Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | - Chen Yang
- Ministry of Education Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | - Yu-Jiao Jiang
- Ministry of Education Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | - Bin Yang
- Ministry of Education Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | - Wen-Jing Wu
- Ministry of Education Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | - Fu-Liu Xu
- Ministry of Education Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China.
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Kosma CI, Lambropoulou DA, Albanis TA. Investigation of PPCPs in wastewater treatment plants in Greece: occurrence, removal and environmental risk assessment. Sci Total Environ 2014; 466-467:421-38. [PMID: 23933429 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.07.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 302] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2013] [Revised: 07/13/2013] [Accepted: 07/13/2013] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
In the present work, an extensive study on the presence of eighteen pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in eight wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of Greece has been conducted. The study covered four sampling periods over 1-year, where samples (influents; effluents) from eight WWTPs of various cities in Greece were taken. All WWTPs investigated are equipped with conventional activated sludge treatment. A common pre-concentration step based on SPE was applied, followed by LC-UV/Vis-ESI-MS. Further confirmation of positive findings was accomplished by using LC coupled to a high resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometer. The results showed the occurrence of all target compounds in the wastewater samples with concentrations up to 96.65 μg/L. Paracetamol, caffeine, trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, diclofenac and salicylic acid were the dominant compounds, while tolfenamic acid, fenofibrate and simvastatin were the less frequently detected compounds with concentrations in effluents below the LOQ. The removal efficiencies showed that many WWTPs were unable to effectively remove most of the PPCPs investigated. Finally, the study provides an assessment of the environmental risk posed by their presence in wastewaters by means of the risk quotient (RQ). RQs were more than unity for various compounds in the effluents expressing possible threat for the aquatic environment. Triclosan was found to be the most critical compound in terms of contribution and environmental risk, concluding that it should be seriously considered as a candidate for regulatory monitoring and prioritization on a European scale on the basis of realistic PNECs. The results of the extensive monitoring study contributed to a better insight on PPCPs in Greece and their presence in influent and effluent wastewaters. Furthermore, the unequivocal identification of two transformation products of trimethoprim in real wastewaters by using the advantages of the LTQ Orbitrap capabilities provides information that should be taken into consideration in future PPCP monitoring studies in wastewaters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina I Kosma
- Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, Ioannina 45110, Greece
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