Coastal ecosystems are heavily anthropized areas impacted by discharge of chemical pollutants. We present for the first time the occurrence of a wide number of such chemicals in surface water, sediment, suspended particulate matter, and corals from a protected Mediterranean setting, La Herradura Bay (Spain). A seasonal monitoring sampling campaign was conducted in 2021 (winter and summer).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite being one of the most remote areas on the planet, the Antarctic continent is subject to anthropogenic influences. The presence of various groups of contaminants, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), has been documented in the region over the past decades. However, a significant knowledge gap remains regarding the detection of new pollutants, such as emerging contaminants (ECs), in Antarctic coastal environments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Total Environ
October 2024
This study investigates the presence and impact of UV filters in Posidonia oceanica meadows in Formentera, a Mediterranean tourist hotspot. It highlights the distribution of inorganic (TiO2 and ZnO) and organic UV filters (UVFs) in different environmental matrices, their accumulation in seagrass tissues and their impact on the seagrass health. In the overlying and canopy waters of P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBioaccumulation patterns of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Fe and Cu) and organic (priority and emerging) pollutants, in combination with stable isotope analysis (SIA), were assessed in muscle and liver of three tuna species from the Gulf of Cadiz (Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus; Atlantic bonito, Sarda sarda, and skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis). SIA and contaminant (heavy metal and organic) profiles separately discriminated between species. There was no significant overlap between the trophic niches estimated from isotopic data, suggesting that there are diet differences which may determine differential bioaccumulation patterns.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in understanding the behavior of personal care products (PCPs) in the aquatic environment. In this regard, the aim of this study is to estimate the accumulation and effects of four PCPs within the clam Ruditapes philippinarum. The PCPs selected were triclosan, OTNE, benzophenone-3, and octocrylene.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUltraviolet filters (UV-filters) are compounds extensively used in personal care products. These compounds are produced at increasing rates and discharged into marine ecosystems in unknown quantities and with no regulation, making them emerging contaminants. Among those, the UV-filter 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) is used in a variety of personal care products such as sunscreens, soaps, or lipsticks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Engineered stone silicosis is an emerging disease in many countries worldwide produced by the inhalation of respirable dust of engineered stone. This silicosis has a high incidence among young workers, with a short latency period and greater aggressiveness than silicosis caused by natural materials. Although the silica content is very high and this is the key factor, it has been postulated that other constituents in engineered stones can influence the aggressiveness of the disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn approach to identifying persistent organic contaminants in the environment was developed and executed for Switzerland as an example of an industrialized country. First, samples were screened with an in-house list using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS) and gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) in 13 samples from the Swiss National Soil Monitoring Network and three sediment cores of an urban and agricultural contaminated lake. To capture a broader range of organic contaminants, the analysis was extended with a suspect screening analysis by LC-HRMS/MS of >500 halogenated compounds obtained from a Swiss database that includes industrial and household chemicals identified, by means of fugacity modeling, as persistent substances in the selected matrices.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolycyclic musk compounds have been identified in environmental matrices (water, sediment and air) and in biological tissues in the last decade, yet only minimal attention has been paid to their chronic toxicity in the marine environment. In the present research, the clams Ruditapes philippinarum were exposed to 0.005, 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTemporal monitoring of pollutants in aquatic systems impacted by human activities is mandatory for a correct assessment on their environmental impact and later management. The aim of this work was to study the suitability of using silicone rubber passive samplers and caged organisms (), simultaneously, to examine the spatial and temporal variability of priority and emerging contaminants in a coastal environment (Cadiz Bay, SW Spain) over the course of an entire year. Seasonal trends were observed for some classes of compounds, such as UV filters and fragrances, and attributed to fluctuations in their sources and changes in the hydrodynamic conditions, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUV filters are a class of emerging contaminants with an annual estimated production of 10,000 tons worldwide that continuously enter aquatic environments. Among UV filters, 4-methylbenzylidenecamphor (4-MBC) is an organic camphor derivative used in the cosmetic industry for its ability to protect the skin against UV, specifically UV B radiation. Individuals of the Japanese clam, Ruditapes philippinarum, were exposed to 4-MBC at environmentally relevant and slightly higher concentrations (nominal: 0, 1, 10, 100 μg L) using a semi-static exposure system over a 7-days period followed by a 3-days depuration period (total 10 days) where no 4-MBC was added to the tanks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe sources and depositional history of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine compounds (OCs) over the last century were investigated in sediment cores from the North Adriatic Sea (Po River prodelta) and the South-Western Adriatic Margin (SWAM). Contaminant concentrations were higher in the Po River prodelta. ∑PAHs ranged from 193 to 533 ng g, ∑PCBs ranged from 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Total Environ
February 2019
Contamination is an important factor for determining the pattern of habitat selection by organisms. Since many organisms are able to move from contaminated to more favorable habitats, we aimed to: (i) verify if the contamination along the river Guadalete (Spain) could generate a chemical barrier, restricting the displacement of freshwater shrimps (Atyaephyra desmarestii) and (ii) discriminate the role of the contaminants concerning the preference response by the shrimps. A.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCruise ship wastewater discharges are pollution sources towards the marine environment that are poorly characterized. In this study, wastewater samples from cruise ships have been obtained during repair works in a shipyard. Different organic pollutants have been analyzed and their concentrations were similar to those in urban wastewaters for pharmaceuticals and fragrances, but higher for UV filters and PAHs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContamination of aquatic systems by no longer used but very persistent compounds (e.g., organochlorine pesticides) and newly detected chemicals, such as personal care products (PCPs), represents a raising concern.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study is focused on the Guadalete River basin (SW, Spain), where extreme weather conditions have become common, with and alternation between periods of drought and extreme rainfall events. Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) occur when heavy rainfall events exceed the capacity of the wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), as well as pollution episodes in parts of the basin due to uncontrolled sewage spills and the use of reclaimed water and sludge from the local WWTP. The sampling was carried out along two seasons and three campaigns during dry (March 2007) and extreme rainfall (April and December 2010) in the Guadalete River, alluvial aquifer and Jerez de la Frontera aquifer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMeasuring the impact of PAHs in seawater samples is often difficult due to the low concentrations in which they appear and the complexity of the sample matrix. Traditional methods for sample preparation such as liquid-liquid extraction and solid phase extraction require the use of excessive amounts of solvents and reagents, and sample handling. In this work, hollow fiber liquid phase micro-extraction (HFLPME), in the configuration of solvent bar micro-extraction (SBME), was proposed as an environmentally friendly and more effective tool, for the extraction of the 16 priority PAHs from seawater samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe spatial distributions and fates of selected legacy and emerging compounds were investigated and compared in surface sediments sampled along the Adriatic mud-wedge and in deep-sea regions from the southern Adriatic basin. Results indicated that the concentrations of legacy contaminants (PAHs, PCBs and DDTs) and emerging contaminants (tonalide, galaxolide, EHMC, octocrylene, BP3 and NP) ranged from 0.1 to 572 ng g and from
This study focused on comparing the occurrences and environmental toxic risks for diverse priority and emerging contaminants (>100 chemicals) in the sediments from the Pearl River Estuary (PRE, China). The most predominant compounds were cationic surfactants, organophosphate flame retardants (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is a growing interest in assessing the concentration and distribution of new nonregulated organic compounds (emerging contaminants) in the environment. The measurement of freely dissolved concentrations using conventional approaches is challenging because of the low concentrations that may be encountered and their temporally variable emissions. Absorption-based passive sampling enables the estimation of freely dissolved concentrations of hydrophobic contaminants of emerging concern in water.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe main goal of this work was to develop, optimize and validate a multi-residue method for the simultaneous determination of 97 contaminants, including fragrances, UV filters, repellents, endocrine disruptors, biocides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organophosphorus flame retardants, and several types of pesticides in marine sediment samples. Extraction and cleanup were integrated into the same step using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) with in-cell clean-up (1g of alumina). The extraction was performed using dichloromethane at 100 °C, 1500 psi and 3 extraction cycles (5 min per cycle).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis work presents the development, optimization and validation of a multi-residue method for the simultaneous determination of 102 contaminants, including fragrances, UV filters, repellents, endocrine disruptors, biocides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and several types of pesticides in aqueous matrices. Water samples were processed using stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) after the optimization of several parameters: agitation time, ionic strength, presence of organic modifiers, pH, and volume of the derivatizing agent. Target compounds were extracted from the bars by liquid desorption (LD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe have developed a method for the analysis of two sewage-derived contaminants: triclosan (TCS), an antibacterial agent, and methyl triclosan (MTCS), a TCS metabolite. For solid samples (4 g), extraction and cleanup were integrated into the same step using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) with in-cell-clean-up (1g of florisil). The extraction was performed using dichloromethane at 100 °C, 1500 psi and 3 static extraction cycles of 5 min each.
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