Wide-scope target screening of >2000 emerging contaminants in wastewater samples with UPLC-Q-ToF-HRMS/MS and smart evaluation of its performance through the validation of 195 selected representative analytes

Assessment of the aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation of contaminants of emerging concern in sludge using batch reactors

This work explores the degradation of xenobiotic compounds in aerobic and anaerobic batch reactors. Different inoculums were spiked with nine emerging contaminants at nominal concentrations ranging between 1 to 2 mg/L (ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen, acesulfame, sucralose, aspartame, cyclamate, linear alkylbenzene sulfonates, and secondary alkyl sulfonates). Ethanol was used as co-substrate in the anaerobic reactors. We found that the kinetic decay was faster in the aerobic reactors inoculated with a Spanish (S_pn) inoculum compared to a Brazilian (B_rz) inoculum, resulting in rection rates for LAS and SAS of 2.67 ± 3.6 h^-1 and 5.09 ± 6 h^-1 for the B_rz reactors, and 1.3 ± 0.1 h^-1 and 1.5 ± 0.2 h^-1 for the S_pn reactors, respectively. There was no evidence of LAS and SAS degradation under anaerobic conditions within 72 days; nonetheless, under aerobic conditions, these surfactants were removed by both the B_rz and S_pn inoculums (up to 86.2 ± 9.4% and 74.3 ± 0.7%, respectively) within 10 days. The artificial sweeteners were not removed under aerobic conditions, whereas we could observe a steady decrease in the anaerobic reactors containing the S_pn inoculum. Ethanol aided in the degradation of surfactants in anaerobic environments. Proteiniphilum, Paraclostridium, Arcobacter, Proteiniclasticum, Acinetobacter, Roseomonas, Aquamicrobium, Moheibacter, Leucobacter, Synergistes, Cyanobacteria, Serratia, and Desulfobulbus were the main microorganisms identified in this study.

Enhancing spectral quality in complex environmental matrices: Supporting suspect and non-target screening in zebra mussels with ion mobility

Identification of bioaccumulating contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) via suspect and non-target screening remains a challenging task. In this study, ion mobility separation with high-resolution mass spectrometry (IM-HRMS) was used to investigate the effects of drift time (DT) alignment on spectrum quality and peak annotation for screening of CECs in complex sample matrices using data independent acquisition (DIA). Data treatment approaches (Binary Sample Comparison) and prioritisation strategies (Halogen Match, co-occurrence of features in biota and the water phase) were explored in a case study on zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) in Lake Mälaren, Sweden's largest drinking water reservoir. DT alignment evidently improved the fragment spectrum quality by increasing the similarity score to reference spectra from on average (±standard deviation) 0.33 ± 0.31 to 0.64 ± 0.30 points, thus positively influencing structure elucidation efforts. Thirty-two features were tentatively identified at confidence level 3 or higher using MetFrag coupled with the new PubChemLite database, which included predicted collision cross-section values from CCSbase. The implementation of predicted mobility data was found to support compound annotation. This study illustrates a quantitative assessment of the benefits of IM-HRMS on spectral quality, which will enhance the performance of future screening studies of CECs in complex environmental matrices.

Making use of apex predator sample collections: an integrated workflow for quality assured sample processing, analysis and digital sample freezing of archived samples

Using monitoring data from apex predators for chemicals risk assessment can provide important information on bioaccumulating as well as biomagnifying chemicals in food webs. A survey among European institutions involved in chemical risk assessment on their experiences with apex predator data in chemical risk assessment revealed great interest in using such data. However, the respondents indicated that constraints were related to expected high costs, lack of standardisation and harmonised quality criteria for exposure assessment, data access, and regulatory acceptance/application. During the Life APEX project, we demonstrated that European sample collections (i.e. environmental specimen banks (ESBs), research collection (RCs), natural history museums (NHMs)) archive a large variety of biological samples that can be readily used for chemical analysis once appropriate quality assurance/control (QA/QC) measures have been developed and implemented. We therefore issued a second survey on sampling, processing and archiving procedures in European sample collections to derive key quality QA/QC criteria for chemical analysis. The survey revealed great differences in QA/QC measures between ESBs, NHMs and RCs. Whereas basic information such as sampling location, date and biometric data were mostly available across institutions, protocols to accompany the sampling strategy with respect to chemical analysis were only available for ESBs. For RCs, the applied QA/QC measures vary with the respective research question, whereas NHMs are generally less aware of e.g. chemical cross-contamination issues. Based on the survey we derived key indicators for assessing the quality of biota samples that can be easily implemented in online databases. Furthermore, we provide a QA/QC workflow not only for sampling and processing but also for the chemical analysis of biota samples. We focussed on comprehensive analytical techniques such as non-target screening and provided insights into subsequent storage of high-resolution chromatograms in online databases (i.e. digital sample freezing platform) to ultimately support chemicals risk assessment.

A holistic assessment of the sources, prevalence, and distribution of bisphenol A and analogues in water, sediments, biota and plastic litter of the Ebro Delta (Spain)

Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the main ubiquitous compounds released from plastics in the environment. This compound, considered an endocrine disruptor, poses a risk to aquatic wildlife and human population, being included in multiple environmental monitoring programmes. Following the regulations restricting BPA use in the last years, BPA-like chemicals have been produced and used as BPA substitutes. However, they are not commonly included in monitoring programs yet and their presence is thus misrepresented, despite showing similar endocrine disrupting potential. In this work, an analytical method for analysing bisphenol A and five of its analogues (Bisphenol S, B, F, AF and Tetrabromobisphenol A) is described, validated for water (riverine, sea and wastewater), sediment, and biota (fish and biofilm) and applied to monitor their presence in the Ebro River Delta (NE Spain). In addition, plastic litter was also collected to evaluate their role as potential source of bisphenols. All compounds except BPF were detected in the analysed samples. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were discarded as major sources of BPs into the natural aquatic environment, as no BPs were detected in treated effluents. Indeed, the high levels of BPs in the natural environment could be related with direct discharge of raw wastewater from small rural population nucleus. The analysis of riverine plastic leachates yielded 4 out of the 6 BPs analysed, strengthening the hypothesis that plastic debris are also a source of BPs in the natural environment. Whereas Bisphenol S and BPA were detected in water and, to a limited extent, in biota, less polar analogues (mainly BPAF and TBBPA) were not found in any of the water samples. Instead, these hydrophobic BPs were found in fish tissues and biofilm, pointing out plastics and microplastics as their possible vectors. Finally, biofilm demonstrated its potential as sentinel of chemical contamination in freshwater environment.

Assessment of contaminants of emerging concern in European apex predators and their prey by LC-QToF MS wide-scope target analysis

Apex predators are good indicators of environmental pollution since they are relatively long-lived and their high trophic position and spatiotemporal exposure to chemicals provides insights into the persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) properties of chemicals. Although monitoring data from apex predators can considerably support chemicals' management, there is a lack of pan-European studies, and longer-term monitoring of chemicals in organisms from higher trophic levels. The present study investigated the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in 67 freshwater, marine and terrestrial apex predators and in freshwater and marine prey, gathered from four European countries. Generic sample preparation protocols for the extraction of CECs with a broad range of physicochemical properties and the purification of the extracts were used. The analysis was performed utilizing liquid (LC) chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), while the acquired chromatograms were screened for the presence of more than 2,200 CECs through wide-scope target analysis. In total, 145 CECs were determined in the apex predator and their prey samples belonging in different categories, such as pharmaceuticals, plant protection products, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, their metabolites and transformation products. Higher concentration levels were measured in predators compared to prey, suggesting that biomagnification of chemicals through the food chain occurs. The compounds were prioritized for further regulatory risk assessment based on their frequency of detection and their concentration levels. The majority of the prioritized CECs were lipophilic, although the presence of more polar contaminants should not be neglected. This indicates that holistic analytical approaches are required to fully characterize the chemical universe of biota samples. Therefore, the present survey is an attempt to systematically investigate the presence of thousands of chemicals at a European level, aiming to use these data for better chemicals management and contribute to EU Zero Pollution Ambition.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals entering European rivers: Occurrence and adverse mixture effects in treated wastewater

In the present study on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in treated wastewater, we used chemical and effect-based tools to analyse 56 wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents from 15 European countries. The main objectives were (i) to compare three different receptor-based estrogenicity assays (ERα-GeneBLAzer, p-YES, ERα-CALUX®), and (ii) to investigate a combined approach of chemical target analysis and receptor-based testing for estrogenicity, glucocorticogenic activity, androgenicity and progestagenic activity (ERα-, GR-, AR- and PR-GeneBLAzer assays, respectively) in treated wastewater. A total of 56 steroids and phenols were detected at concentrations ranging from 25 pg/L (estriol, E3) up to 2.4 μg/L (cortisone). WWTP effluents, which passed an advanced treatment via ozonation or via activated carbon, were found to be less contaminated, in terms of lower or no detection of steroids and phenols, as well as hormone receptor-mediated effects. This result was confirmed by the effect screening, including the three ERα-bioassays. In the GeneBLAzer assays, ERα-activity was detected in 82 %, and GR-activity in 73 % of the samples, while AR- and PR-activity were only measured in 14 % and 21 % of the samples, respectively. 17β-estradiol was confirmed as the estrogen dominating the observed estrogenic mixture effect and triamcinolone acetonide was the dominant driver of glucocorticogenic activity. The comparison of bioanalytical equivalent concentrations (BEQ) predicted from the detected concentrations and the relative effect potency (BEQ_chem) with measured BEQ (BEQ_bio) demonstrated good correlations of chemical target analysis and receptor-based testing results with deviations mostly within a factor of 10. Bioassay-specific effect-based trigger values (EBTs) from the literature, but also newly calculated EBTs based on previously proposed derivation options, were applied and allowed a preliminary assessment of the water quality of the tested WWTP effluent samples. Overall, this study demonstrates the high potential of linking chemical with effect-based analysis in water quality assessment with regard to EDC contamination.

Detecting the sources of chemicals in the Black Sea using non-target screening and deep learning convolutional neural networks

The Black Sea is an important ecosystem, which is affected by various anthropogenic pressures, such as shipping activities and wastewater inputs from large coastal cities. Significant loads of chemical pollutants are being continuously brought in by major European rivers. This study investigated the spatial distribution of chemicals in the Ukrainian shelf (the northwestern part of the Black Sea) and their main sources. Chemical occurrence data used in the study was generated within the Joint Black Sea Surveys (JBSS), which took place in 2016 and 2017 as a part of the EU/UNDP EMBLAS II project (www.emblasproject.org). During the JBSS, seawater samples were analyzed by a non-target screening workflow using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). Open-source algorithms were applied to generate a combined dataset of 30,489 detected chemical signals and their intensities. Out of these, 35 compounds were tentatively identified by the application of a non-target screening identification workflow based on automated matching of their mass spectra against those in available mass spectral libraries. The dataset was used to generate images, representing spatial distribution of each of the signals. These images were then used as an input to a deep learning convolutional neural network classification model. The study resulted in the development of an open-source end-to-end workflow for the estimation of the pollution load by chemicals contributed by the two major inflowing rivers (Danube and Dnieper) and other, so far unidentified, sources. A dedicated dashboard was built to facilitate data visualization per detected signal/compound. The presented model proved to be especially useful at the prioritization of signals of unknown compounds, which is of key importance for the follow up structure elucidation efforts of bulky non-target screening data. The deep learning approach for peak prioritization of unknown chemicals in the environment has been used for the first time.

Chemical fingerprinting of organic micropollutants in different industrial treated wastewater effluents and their effluent-receiving river

Industry wastewater is considered one of the worst polluters of our precious water ecologies. However, the types of pollutants present in wastewater from industrial wastewater treatment plants (IWTPs) are still unclear. In this study, a simple and effective chemical fingerprinting method for checking the source-sink relationships among different industrial wastewaters and their effluent-receiving river was established. 107, 228, 155, and 337 chemicals were screened out in wastewater from electronics, steel, textile, and printing and dyeing plants, respectively. Chemical fingerprinting of the detected chemicals was performed, and results showed that aromatic compounds were the most prevalent among the pollutant categories (i.e., 56, 189, and 168 in electronics, iron and steel, and printing and dyeing plants, respectively). The traceability analysis of the chemicals selected in the effluent determined the characteristic pollutants of different industrial enterprises. Sixty-eight compounds were identified as the characteristic pollutants in the different process stages of wastewater of the four IWTPs. Of the 84 effluent-receiving river water signature pollutants, 47.6% (n = 40) were also detected in the effluent from the four IWTPs. Effective screening of organic pollutants in industrial wastewater and determining their sources will help accelerate the improvement of industrial wastewater treatment technology.

Simultaneous Determination of Seven Pesticides and Metabolite Residues in Litchi and Longan through High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry with Modified QuEChERS

This study established a QuEChERS high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry method for determining azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, picoxystrobin, difenoconazole, chlorantraniliprole, imidacloprid, and cyantraniliprole and its metabolite (IN-J9Z38) in litchi and longan, and applied this method to the real samples. The residues in samples were extracted with acetonitrile and purified with nano-ZrO2, C18, and PSA. The samples were then detected with multireactive ion monitoring and electrospray ionization in the positive ion mode and quantified using the external matrix-matched standard method. The results showed good linearities for the eight analytes in the range of 1−100 μg/L, with correlation coefficients (r2) of >0.99. The limit of quantification was 1−10 μg/kg, and the limit of detection was 0.3−3 μg/kg. Average recovery from litchi and longan was 81−99%, with the relative standard deviation of 3.5−8.4% at fortified concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 μg/kg. The developed method is simple, rapid, efficient, and sensitive. It allowed the rapid screening, monitoring, and confirming of the aforementioned seven pesticides and a metabolite in litchi and longan.

Monitoring Mixture Effects of Neurotoxicants in Surface Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents with Neurite Outgrowth Inhibition in SH-SY5Y Cells

Cell-based assays covering environmentally relevant modes of action are widely used for water quality monitoring. However, no high-throughput assays are available for testing developmental neurotoxicity of water samples. We implemented an assay that quantifies neurite outgrowth, which is one of the neurodevelopmental key events, and cell viability in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells using imaging techniques. We used this assay for testing of extracts of surface water collected in agricultural areas during rain events and effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), where more than 200 chemicals had been quantified. Forty-one chemicals were tested individually that were suspected to contribute to the mixture effects among the detected chemicals in environmental samples. Sample sensitivity distributions indicated higher neurotoxicity for surface water samples than for effluents, and the endpoint of neurite outgrowth inhibition was six times more sensitive than cytotoxicity in the surface water samples and only three times more sensitive in the effluent samples. Eight environmental pollutants showed high specificity, and those ranged from pharmaceuticals (mebendazole and verapamil) to pesticides (methiocarb and clomazone), biocides (1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-one), and industrial chemicals (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, 7-diethylamino-4-methylcoumarin, and 2-(4-morpholinyl)benzothiazole). Although neurotoxic effects were newly detected for some of our test chemicals, less than 1% of the measured effects were explained by the detected and toxicologically characterized chemicals. The neurotoxicity assay was benchmarked against other bioassays: activations of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor were similar in sensitivity, highly sensitive and did not differ much between the two water types, with surface water having slightly higher effects than the WWTP effluent. Oxidative stress response mirrored neurotoxicity quite well but was caused by different chemicals in the two water types. Overall, the new cell-based neurotoxicity assay is a valuable complement to the existing battery of effect-based monitoring tools.

Target and suspect screening of 4777 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in river water, wastewater, groundwater and biota samples in the Danube River Basin

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are under regulatory scrutiny since some of them are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic. The occurrence of 4777 PFAS was investigated in the Danube River Basin (DRB; 11 countries) using target and suspect screening. Target screening involved investigation of PFAS with 56 commercially available reference standards. Suspect screening covered 4777 PFAS retrieved from the NORMAN Substance Database, including all individual PFAS lists submitted to the NORMAN Suspect List Exchange Database. Mass spectrometry fragmentation patterns and retention time index predictions of the studied PFAS were established for their screening by liquid chromatography - high resolution mass spectrometry using NORMAN Digital Sample Freezing Platform (DSFP). In total, 82 PFAS were detected in the studied 95 samples of river water, wastewater, groundwater, biota and sediments. Suspect screening detected 72 PFAS that were missed by target screening. Predicted no effect concentrations (PNECs) were derived for each PFAS via a quantitative structure-toxicity relationship (QSTR)-based approach and used for assessment of their environmental risk. Risk characterization revealed 18 PFAS of environmental concern in at least one matrix. The presence of PFAS in all studied environmental compartments across the DRB indicates a potentially large-scale migration of PFAS in Europe, which might require their further systematic regulatory monitoring.

Are preserved coastal water bodies in Spanish Mediterranean basin impacted by human activity? Water quality evaluation using chemical and biological analyses

The Spanish Mediterranean basin is particularly susceptible to climate change and human activities, making it vulnerable to the influence of anthropogenic contaminants. Therefore, conducting comprehensive and exhaustive water quality assessment in relevant water bodies of this basin is pivotal. In this work, surface water samples from coastal lagoons or estuaries were collected across the Spanish Mediterranean coastline and subjected to target and suspect screening of 1,585 organic micropollutants by liquid chromatography coupled to ion mobility separation and high resolution mass spectrometry. In total, 91 organic micropollutants could be confirmed and 5 were tentatively identified, with pharmaceuticals and pesticides being the most prevalent groups of chemicals. Chemical analysis data was compared with data on bioanalysis of those samples (recurrent aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation, and estrogenic receptor (ER) inhibition in wetland samples affected by wastewater streams). The number of identified organic contaminants containing aromatic rings could explain the AhR activation observed. For the ER antagonistic effects, predictions on estrogenic inhibition potency for the detected compounds were used to explain the activities observed. The integration of chemical analysis with bioanalytical observations allowed a comprehensive overview of the quality of the water bodies under study.

A risk based assessment approach for chemical mixtures from wastewater treatment plant effluents

In this study, 56 effluent samples from 52 European wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were investigated for the occurrence of 499 emerging chemicals (ECs) and their associated potential risks to the environment. The two main objectives were (i) to extend our knowledge on chemicals occurring in treated wastewater, and (ii) to identify and prioritize compounds of concern based on three different risk assessment approaches for the identification of consensus mixture risk drivers of concern. Approaches include (i) PNEC and EQS-based regulatory risk quotients (RQs), (ii) species sensitivity distribution (SSD)-based hazard units (HUs) and (iii) toxic units (TUs) for three biological quality elements (BQEs) algae, crustacean, and fish. For this purpose, solid-phase extracts were analysed with wide-scope chemical target screening via liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), resulting in 366 detected compounds, with concentrations ranging from < 1 ng/L to > 100 µg/L. The detected chemicals were categorized with respect to critical information relevant for risk assessment and management prioritization including: (1) frequency of occurrence, (2) measured concentrations, (3) use groups, (4) persistence & bioaccumulation, and (5) modes of action. A comprehensive assessment using RQ, HU and TU indicated exceedance of risk thresholds for the majority of effluents with RQ being the most sensitive metric. In total, 299 out of the 366 compounds were identified as mixture risk contributors in one of the approaches, while 32 chemicals were established as consensus mixture risk contributors of high concern, including a high percentage (66%) of pesticides and biocides. For samples which have passed an advanced treatment using ozonation or activated carbon (AC), consistently much lower risks were estimated.

Use of Passive and Grab Sampling and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry for Non-Targeted Analysis of Emerging Contaminants and Their Semi-Quantification in Water

Different groups of organic micropollutants including pharmaceuticals and pesticides have emerged in the environment in the last years, resulting in a rise in environmental and human health risks. In order to face up and evaluate these risks, there is an increasing need to assess their occurrence in the environment. Therefore, many studies in the past couple of decades were focused on the improvements in organic micropollutants’ extraction efficiency from the different environmental matrices, as well as their mass spectrometry detection parameters and acquisition modes. This paper presents different sampling methodologies and high-resolution mass spectrometry-based non-target screening workflows for the identification of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and their transformation products in different kinds of water (domestic wastewater and river water). Identification confidence was increased including retention time prediction in the workflow. The applied methodology, using a passive sampling technique, allowed for the identification of 85 and 47 contaminants in the wastewater effluent and river water, respectively. Finally, contaminants’ prioritization was performed through semi-quantification in grab samples as a fundamental step for monitoring schemes.

A novel workflow for semi-quantification of emerging contaminants in environmental samples analyzed by LC-HRMS

There is an increasing need for developing a strategy to quantify the newly identified substances in environmental samples, where there are not always reference standards available. The semi-quantitative analysis can assist risk assessment of chemicals and their environmental fate. In this study, a rigorously tested and system-independent semi-quantification workflow is proposed based on ionization efficiency measurement of emerging contaminants analyzed in liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry. The quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR)-based model was built to predict the ionization efficiency of unknown compounds which can be later used for their semi-quantification. The proposed semi-quantification method was applied and tested in real environmental seawater samples. All semi-quantification-related calculations can be performed online and free of access at http://trams.chem.uoa.gr/semiquantification/ .

TrendProbe: Time profile analysis of emerging contaminants by LC-HRMS non-target screening and deep learning convolutional neural network

Peak prioritization is one of the key steps in non-target screening of environmental samples to direct the identification efforts to relevant and important features. Occurrence of chemicals is sometimes a function of time and their presence in consecutive days (trend) reveals important aspects such as discharges from agricultural, industrial or domestic activities. This study presents a validated computational framework based on deep learning conventional neural network to classify trends of chemicals over 30 consecutive days of sampling in two sampling sites (upstream and downstream of a river). From trend analysis and factor analysis, the chemicals could be classified into periodic, spill, increasing, decreasing and false trend. The developed method was validated with list of 42 reference standards (target screening) and applied to samples. 25 compounds were selected by the deep learning and identified via non-target screening. Three classes of surfactants were identified for the first time in river water and two of them were never reported in the literature. Overall, 21 new homologous series of the newly identified surfactants were tentatively identified. The aquatic toxicity of the identified compounds was estimated by in silico tools and a few compounds along with their homologous series showed potential risk to aquatic environment.

Overarching issues on relevant pesticide transformation products in the aquatic environment: A review

The intensification of agricultural production during the last decades has forced the rapid increase in the use of pesticides that finally end up in the aquatic environment. Albeit well-documented, pesticides continue to raise researchers' attention, because of their potential adverse impacts on the environment and, inevitably, humans. Once entering the aquatic bodies, pesticides undergo biotic and abiotic processes, resulting in transformation products (TPs) that sometimes are even more toxic than the parent compounds. A substantial shift of the scientific interest in the TPs of pesticides has been observed since their environmental fate, occurrence and toxicity is still in its formative stage. In an ongoing effort to expand the existing knowledge on the topic, several interesting works have been performed mostly in European countries, such as France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, and Spain that counts the highest number of relevant publications. Pesticide TPs have been also studied to a lesser extent in Asia, North and South America. To this end, the main objective of this review is to delineate the global occurrence, fate, toxicity as well as the analytical challenges related to pesticide TPs in surface, ground, and wastewaters, with the view to contribute to a better understanding of the environmental problems related with TPs formation. The concentration levels of the TPs, ranging from the low ng/L to high μg/L scale and distributed worldwide. Ultimately, an attempt to predict the acute and chronic toxicity of TPs has been carried out with the aid of an in-silico approach based on ECOSAR, revealing increased chronic toxicity for the majority of the identified TPs, despite the change they underwent, while a small portion of them presented serious acute toxicity values.

Background ions into exclusion list: A new strategy to enhance the efficiency of DDA data collection for high-throughput screening of chemical contaminations in food

Foods contaminated with hazardous compounds, could pose potential risks for human health. To date, there is still a big challenge in accurate identification. In this study, a novel data-dependent acquisition (DDA) approach, based on a combination of inclusion list and exclusion list, was proposed to acquire more effective MS/MS spectra. This strategy was successfully applied in a large-scale screening survey to detect 50 mycotoxins in oats, 155 veterinary drugs in dairy milk, and 200 pesticides in tomatoes. Compared with traditional acquisition modes, this new strategy has higher detection rate, particularly at ultra-low concentration by eliminating background influence, thereby generating the MS/MS spectra for more potential hazardous materials instead of matrix interference. Additionally, the obtained MS/MS spectra are simpler and more likely to be traced back than DIA. Moreover, this new strategy would be more comprehensively applied in food safety monitoring with the improvement of HRMS and post-acquisition techniques.

A Multi-Label Classifier for Predicting the Most Appropriate Instrumental Method for the Analysis of Contaminants of Emerging Concern

Liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) and gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) have revolutionized analytical chemistry among many other disciplines. These advanced instrumentations allow to theoretically capture the whole chemical universe that is contained in samples, giving unimaginable opportunities to the scientific community. Laboratories equipped with these instruments produce a lot of data daily that can be digitally archived. Digital storage of data opens up the opportunity for retrospective suspect screening investigations for the occurrence of chemicals in the stored chromatograms. The first step of this approach involves the prediction of which data is more appropriate to be searched. In this study, we built an optimized multi-label classifier for predicting the most appropriate instrumental method (LC-HRMS or GC-HRMS or both) for the analysis of chemicals in digital specimens. The approach involved the generation of a baseline model based on the knowledge that an expert would use and the generation of an optimized machine learning model. A multi-step feature selection approach, a model selection strategy, and optimization of the classifier’s hyperparameters led to a model with accuracy that outperformed the baseline implementation. The models were used to predict the most appropriate instrumental technique for new substances. The scripts are available at GitHub and the dataset at Zenodo.

Screening of legacy and emerging substances in surface water, sediment, biota and groundwater samples collected in the Siverskyi Donets River Basin employing wide-scope target and suspect screening

Siverskyi Donets is the fourth longest river in Ukraine and its ecosystem is heavily affected by numerous agricultural and industrial activities. An impact of the on-going armed military conflicts in the Eastern Ukraine to the overall pollution by the chemicals has been studied. Considering the uncontrolled activities in the catchment due to the conflict, there is a high demand to assess the contamination status of the Siverskyi Donets basin. In this study, the occurrence of the EU Water Framework Directive priority substances, selected physicochemical parameters and wide-range emerging contaminants were investigated in surface water, groundwater, biota and river sediments samples from 13 sampling sites in the river basin. The study included metals, inorganic, non-polar and polar organic contaminants. The wide-scope target screening of 2316 substances and suspect screening of 2219 substances revealed occurrence of 83 compounds in the studied samples. A few industrial chemicals such as plasticizers bisphenol A and DEHP, as well as flame retardant brominated diphenylethers were found to be potentially hazardous to the ecosystem, exceeding the established legacy environmental quality standards (EQS) or the provisional no-effect concentration (PNEC) values. River sediment samples contained traces of long-term banned chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and degradation products of DDT (p,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDE). A simplified risk assessment based on comparison of measured concentration of the detected compounds against their (eco)toxicity threshold values from the NORMAN Ecotoxicology Database has been performed to aid their prioritization in future monitoring and, eventually, establishing the list of Siverskyi Donets River Basin Specific Pollutants. A comparison with the recent similar studies in the Dniester and Dnieper river basins in Ukraine has shown that the overall pollution by chemicals in the Siverskyi Donets basin is significantly lower.

One planet: one health. A call to support the initiative on a global science-policy body on chemicals and waste

The chemical pollution crisis severely threatens human and environmental health globally. To tackle this challenge the establishment of an overarching international science-policy body has recently been suggested. We strongly support this initiative based on the awareness that humanity has already likely left the safe operating space within planetary boundaries for novel entities including chemical pollution. Immediate action is essential and needs to be informed by sound scientific knowledge and data compiled and critically evaluated by an overarching science-policy interface body. Major challenges for such a body are (i) to foster global knowledge production on exposure, impacts and governance going beyond data-rich regions (e.g., Europe and North America), (ii) to cover the entirety of hazardous chemicals, mixtures and wastes, (iii) to follow a one-health perspective considering the risks posed by chemicals and waste on ecosystem and human health, and (iv) to strive for solution-oriented assessments based on systems thinking. Based on multiple evidence on urgent action on a global scale, we call scientists and practitioners to mobilize their scientific networks and to intensify science-policy interaction with national governments to support the negotiations on the establishment of an intergovernmental body based on scientific knowledge explaining the anticipated benefit for human and environmental health.

Assessment of a wide array of organic micropollutants of emerging concern in wastewater treatment plants in Greece: Occurrence, removals, mass loading and potential risks

Exploring the contamination profile of multi-class emerging contaminants (ECs) in wastewater is highly desirable. To this end, the occurrence, removal, mass loading and risks associated with a large panel of pharmaceuticals and personal care products, illicit drugs, perfluorinated compounds and organophosphate flame retardants in two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the region of Thessaloniki (Greece) after a survey is illustrated. Influent and effluent wastewaters were submitted to solid phase extraction on Oasis HLB cartridges, followed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Orbitrap MS). Influent concentrations in both WWTPs were notably higher than effluent, with caffeine, acetaminophen, irbesartan and valsartan being the most ubiquitous compounds, exhibiting elevated concentrations. Average effluent concentrations ranged from below the method quantification limits (<MQL) to remarkably high values (μg L^-1 scale), such as for caffeine, acetaminophen, diclofenac, irbesartan and valsartan, among others. Removal efficiencies ranged between -273% for lamotrigine and 100%, i.e., for the UV filter BP1. Notably, the polar compounds such as cytarabine, methotrexate and capecitabine were removed at a rate >80% in both WWTPs, allowing the correlation between logK_ow and removals. Interesting trends for the illicit drugs were revealed by means of mass loading estimation, as in the case of benzoylecgonine (71.6 mg/day/1000 inhabitants). Ecotoxicological risk assessment was evaluated for both single components and mixture, using three approaches: risk quotient (RQ), risk quotient considering frequency (RQ_f) and toxic units (TU). Irbesartan and telmisartan posed a high risk in all trophic levels, while fish was the most sensitive taxa for diclofenac. This work aspires to intensify the surveillance programs for the receiving water bodies, as well as to motivate the investigation of toxicity to non-target organisms.

Ecological and spatial variations of legacy and emerging contaminants in white-tailed sea eagles from Germany: Implications for prioritisation and future risk management

The increasing use of chemicals in the European Union (EU) has resulted in environmental emissions and wildlife exposures. For approving a chemical within the EU, producers need to conduct an environmental risk assessment, which typically relies on data generated under laboratory conditions without considering the ecological and landscape context. To address this gap and add information on emerging contaminants and chemical mixtures, we analysed 30 livers of white-tailed sea eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) from northern Germany with high resolution-mass spectrometry coupled to liquid and gas chromatography for the identification of >2400 contaminants. We then modelled the influence of trophic position (δ¹⁵N), habitat (δ¹³C) and landscape on chemical residues and screened for persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) properties using an in silico model to unravel mismatches between predicted PBT properties and observed exposures. Despite having generally low PBT scores, most detected contaminants were medicinal products with oxfendazole and salicylamide being most frequent. Chemicals of the Stockholm Convention such as 4,4'-DDE and PCBs were present in all samples below toxicity thresholds. Among PFAS, especially PFOS showed elevated concentrations compared to other studies. In contrast, PFCA levels were low and increased with δ¹⁵N, which indicated an increase with preying on piscivorous species. Among plant protection products, spiroxamine and simazine were frequently detected with increasing concentrations in agricultural landscapes. The in silico model has proven to be reliable for predicting PBT properties for most chemicals. However, chemical exposures in apex predators are complex and do not solely rely on intrinsic chemical properties but also on other factors such as ecology and landscape. We therefore recommend that ecological contexts, mixture toxicities, and chemical monitoring data should be more frequently considered in regulatory risk assessments, e.g. in a weight of evidence approach, to trigger risk management measures before adverse effects in individuals or populations start to manifest.

Chemical characterisation of Pelargonium sidoides root based on LC-QToF-MS non-target screening strategies

INTRODUCTION

Pelargonium sidoides is a member of the Geraniaceae family and it originates from the coastal regions of South Africa. In the last decades, Pelargonium sidoides root has been subjected to several surveys due to the assertion of its health benefits, such as the relief of symptoms of acute bronchitis, common cold and acute rhinosinusitis. Many studies have been conducted to reveal its naturally occurring bioactive chemicals, yet no wide-scope chemical characterisation strategies have been done using mass spectrometry.

OBJECTIVE

This research aimed to comprehensively characterise the chemical profile of Pelargonium sidoides root via high-resolution mass spectrometry.

METHODOLOGY

The Pelargonium sidoides root was extracted by a mixture of methanol: water in the proportion of 80:20. The extraction procedure included vortexing, shaking as well as the use of an ultrasound sonication bath under 40°C. After centrifugation, the supernatant was evaporated to dryness. The dry residue was reconstituted with a mixture of methanol/water (50:50, v/v), filtered and injected into an ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography-quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometer.

RESULTS

Overall, 33 compounds were identified in the root using suspect and non-target screening. These compounds were originated from different classes of compounds such as amino acids, phenolic acids, α-hydroxy-acids, vitamins, polyphenols, flavonoids, coumarins, coumarins glucosides, coumarin sulphates and nucleotides. Quantitative results were provided for the identified compounds, where their reference standards were available.

CONCLUSION

Some important compounds were elucidated, belonging to different classes of compounds such as antioxidants (coumarins and phenolic compounds), amino acids, nucleotides and vitamins revealing the importance of the bioactive content of this root.

Sample preparation techniques for suspect and non-target screening of emerging contaminants

The progress in sensitivity and resolution in mass spectrometers in recent years provides the possibility to detect a broad range of organic compounds in a single procedure. For this reason, suspect and non-target screening techniques are gaining attention since they enable the detection of hundreds of known and unknown emerging contaminants in various matrices of environmental, food and human sources. Sample preparation is a critical step before analysis as it can significantly affect selectivity, sensitivity and reproducibility. The lack of generic sample preparation protocols is obvious in this fast-growing analytical field, and most studies use those of traditional targeted analysis methods. Among them, solvent extraction and solid phase extraction (SPE) are widely used to extract emerging contaminants from solid and liquid sample types, respectively. Sequential solvent extraction and a combination of different SPE sorbents can cover a broad range of chemicals in the samples. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and adsorption chromatography, including acidification, are typically used to remove matrix components such as lipids from complex matrices, but usually at the expense of compound losses. Ideally, the purification of samples intended for non-target analysis should be selective of matrix interferences. Recent studies have suggested quality assurance/quality control measures for suspect and non-target screening, based on expansion and extrapolation of target compound lists, but method validations remain challenging in the absence of analytical standards and harmonized sample preparation approaches.

Trapped Ion Mobility Incorporated in LC-HRMS Workflows as an Integral Analytical Platform of High Sensitivity: Targeted and Untargeted 4D-Metabolomics in Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS) is a promising technique for the separation of isomers based on their mobility. In the present work, TIMS coupled to liquid chromatography (LC) and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) was applied as a comprehensive analytical platform to address authenticity challenges, focusing on extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Isomers detected in EVOO's phenolic fraction, classified into secoiridoids group, were successfully separated. Thanks to parallel accumulation serial fragmentation (PASEF) acquisition mode, high-quality spectra were obtained, facilitating identification. Moreover, a four-dimensional (4D) untargeted metabolomics approach was implemented to evaluate EVOO's global profile in cases of both variety and geographical origin discrimination. Potential authenticity markers, attributed to isomers, were successfully identified through the proposed workflow that incorporates ion mobility information along with LC-HRMS analytical evidence (i.e., mass accuracy, retention time, isotopic pattern, MS/MS fragmentation). Our study establishes LC-TIMS-HRMS in food authenticity and highlights mobility-enhanced metabolomics in four dimensions.

Elucidation of the photoinduced transformations of Aliskiren in river water using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry

Aliskiren was selected as a compound of potential concern among a suspect screening list of more than 40,000 substances on a basis of high occurrence, potential risk and the absence of information about its environmental fate. This study investigated the photoinduced degradation of aliskiren in river water samples spiked at trace levels exposed to simulated sunlight. A half-life time of 24 h was observed with both direct and indirect photolysis playing a role on pollutant degradation. Its photo-induced transformation involved the formation of six transformation products (TPs), elucidated by LC-HRMS - resulted from the drug hydroxylation, oxidation and moieties loss with subsequent cyclization structurally. The retrospective suspected analysis performed on a total of 754 environmental matrices evidenced the environmental occurrence of aliskiren and two TPs in surface waters (river and seawater), fresh water, sediments and biota. In silico bioassays suggested that aliskiren degradation undergoes thought the formation of TPs with distinct toxicity comparing with the parent compound.

The Potential of Sewage Sludge to Predict and Evaluate the Human Chemical Exposome

Chemicals are part of our daily lives, and we are exposed to numerous chemicals through multiple pathways. Relevant scientific evidence contributing to the regulation of hazardous chemicals require a holistic approach to assess simultaneous exposure to multiple compounds. Biomonitoring provides an accurate estimation of exposure to chemicals through very complex and costly sampling campaigns. Finding efficient proxies to predict the risk of chemical exposure in humans is an urgent need to cover large areas and populations at a reasonable cost. We conducted an exploratory study to characterize the human chemical exposome in maternal blood and placenta samples of a population-based birth cohort in Barcelona (2018-2021). Ultimate HRMS-based approaches were applied including wide-scope target, suspect, and nontarget screening. Forty-two chemicals were identified including pesticides, personal care products, or industrial compounds, among others, in the range of ng/mL and ng/g. In parallel, sewage sludge from the wastewater treatment plants serving the residence areas of the studied population were also screened, showing correlations with the type and concentrations of chemicals found in humans. Our findings were suggestive for the potential use of sewage sludge as a proxy of the human exposure and its application in early warning systems to prevent bioaccumulation of hazardous chemicals.

Change in the chemical content of untreated wastewater of Athens, Greece under COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly worldwide with unanticipated effects on mental health, lifestyle, stability of economies and societies. Although many research groups have already reported SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in untreated wastewater, only few studies evaluated the implications of the pandemic on the use of chemicals by influent wastewater analysis. Wide-scope target and suspect screening were used to monitor the effects of the pandemic on the Greek population through wastewater-based epidemiology. Composite 24 h influent wastewater samples were collected from the wastewater treatment plant of Athens during the first lockdown and analyzed by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. A wide range of compounds was investigated (11,286), including antipsychotic drugs, illicit drugs, tobacco compounds, food additives, pesticides, biocides, surfactants and industrial chemicals. Mass loads of chemical markers were estimated and compared with the data obtained under non-COVID-19 conditions (campaign 2019). The findings revealed increases in surfactants (+196%), biocides (+152%), cationic quaternary ammonium surfactants (used as surfactants and biocides) (+331%), whereas the most important decreases were estimated for tobacco (-33%) and industrial chemicals (-52%). The introduction of social-restriction measures by the government affected all aspects of life.

Development and application of an in-house library and workflow for gas chromatography-electron ionization-accurate-mass/high-resolution mass spectrometry screening of environmental samples

This work presents an optimized gas chromatography–electron ionization–high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-EI-HRMS) screening method. Different method parameters affecting data processing with the Agilent Unknowns Analysis SureMass deconvolution software were optimized in order to achieve the best compromise between false positives and false negatives. To this end, an accurate-mass library of 26 model compounds was created. Then, five replicates of mussel extracts were spiked with a mixture of these 26 compounds at two concentration levels (10 and 100 ng/g dry weight in mussel, 50 and 500 ng/mL in extract) and injected in the GC-EI-HRMS system. The results of these experiments showed that accurate mass tolerance and pure weight factor (combination of reverse-forward library search) are the most critical factors. The validation of the developed method afforded screening detection limits in the 2.5–5 ng range for passive sampler extracts and 1–2 ng/g for mussel sample extracts, and limits of quantification in the 0.6–3.2 ng and 0.1–1.8 ng/g range, for the same type of samples, respectively, for 17 model analytes. Once the method was optimized, an accurate-mass HRMS library, containing retention indexes, with ca. 355 spectra of derivatized and non-derivatized compounds was generated. This library (freely available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5647960), together with a modified Agilent Pesticides Library of over 800 compounds, was applied to the screening of passive samplers, both of polydimethylsiloxane and polar chemical integrative samplers (POCIS), and mussel samples collected in Galicia (NW Spain), where a total of 75 chemicals could be identified.

Patterns of pharmaceuticals use during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Athens, Greece as revealed by wastewater-based epidemiology

Since 2019, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), impaired public health with considerable morbidity and mortality due to the lack of vaccines and effective treatment. The severe disease mainly harmed adults with predisposing medical comorbidities (such as heart disease, hypertension, chronic lung disease), while it can occur in healthy individuals that may be asymptomatic. Wastewater-based Epidemiology (WBE), a non-invasive, objective, chemical tool was used to monitor and estimate the changes in drug's consumption and prescription patterns under normal conditions (2019) and under COVID-19 pandemic conditions (2020). NSAIDs, antihypertensives, diuretics, antiepileptics, antilipidemics, antibiotics, analgesics, antivirals, anticancer drugs, contrast iodinated drugs, antidiabetics, antiallergic drugs, antiulcers and other pharmaceuticals were studied in wastewater and revealed the application of various treatments during the first wave of the pandemic in Athens, Greece. Data were correlated with COVID-19 infection therapeutical plans. The result of the analysis revealed a remarkable increase for antiviral drugs (170%), hydroxychloroquine (387%), and antibiotics (57%), which were the most applied treatments against COVID-19 during the first wave in Greece. In agreement with related authorities urge, NSAIDs presented decrease (27%) during the first lockdown, while paracetamol demonstrated a remarkable increase (198%). The use levels for Angiotensin II receptor blockers such as valsartan, and co-administrated diuretics, such as hydrochlorothiazide, were reduced during 2020, by 32% and 26% respectively.

Multilaboratory Collaborative Study of a Nontarget Data Acquisition for Target Analysis (nDATA) Workflow Using Liquid Chromatography-High-Resolution Accurate Mass Spectrometry for Pesticide Screening in Fruits and Vegetables

Nontarget data acquisition for target analysis (nDATA) workflows using liquid chromatography-high-resolution accurate mass (LC-HRAM) spectrometry, spectral screening software, and a compound database have generated interest because of their potential for screening of pesticides in foods. However, these procedures and particularly the instrument processing software need to be thoroughly evaluated before implementation in routine analysis. In this work, 25 laboratories participated in a collaborative study to evaluate an nDATA workflow on high moisture produce (apple, banana, broccoli, carrot, grape, lettuce, orange, potato, strawberry, and tomato). Samples were extracted in each laboratory by quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS), and data were acquired by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to a high-resolution quadrupole Orbitrap (QOrbitrap) or quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometer operating in full-scan mass spectrometry (MS) data-independent tandem mass spectrometry (LC-FS MS/DIA MS/MS) acquisition mode. The nDATA workflow was evaluated using a restricted compound database with 51 pesticides and vendor processing software. Pesticide identifications were determined by retention time (t_R, ±0.5 min relative to the reference retention times used in the compound database) and mass errors (δ_M) of the precursor (RTP, δ_M ≤ ±5 ppm) and product ions (RTPI, δ_M ≤ ±10 ppm). The elution profiles of all 51 pesticides were within ±0.5 min among 24 of the participating laboratories. Successful screening was determined by false positive and false negative rates of <5% in unfortified (pesticide-free) and fortified (10 and 100 μg/kg) produce matrices. Pesticide responses were dependent on the pesticide, matrix, and instrument. The false negative rates were 0.7 and 0.1% at 10 and 100 μg/kg, respectively, and the false positive rate was 1.1% from results of the participating LC-HRAM platforms. Further evaluation was achieved by providing produce samples spiked with pesticides at concentrations blinded to the laboratories. Twenty-two of the 25 laboratories were successful in identifying all fortified pesticides (0-7 pesticides ranging from 5 to 50 μg/kg) for each produce sample (99.7% detection rate). These studies provide convincing evidence that the nDATA comprehensive approach broadens the screening capabilities of pesticide analyses and provide a platform with the potential to be easily extended to a larger number of other chemical residues and contaminants in foods.

Exploring the integrity of targeted PFASs in extracted wastewater samples during transport and storage stages

Little information exists on the effects of shipping and handling on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in environmental samples. Thus, we evaluated the integrity of dried wastewater extracts and the sensitivity of our high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) instrument to perform such analyses by monitoring 13 representative PFASs in samples extracted, evaporated, and stored at room temperature up to one month. Relative to zero-day recoveries of six detected PFASs ranged between 94 and 124% (RSD <38%) for influents, between 88 and 126% (RSD <18%) for effluents after 28 days. Larger variabilities are tentatively associated with the lack of specific mass-labeled standards and the interactions between analytes and remaining matrix components over time. In a second stage, a mix of local and international dry-shipped wastewater samples were analyzed and the same PFASs were quantified. Up to six PFASs were identified, with median concentrations ranging from 1.3 (perfluoro butyl sulfonate (PFBS)) to 7.7 ng/L (perfluoro hexanoic acid (PFHxA)) and from 1.5 (PFBS) to 13.8 ng/L (PFHxA) in local influents and effluents respectively; and from 0.7 (perfluoro hexyl sulfonate (PFHxS)) to 52.8 ng/L (PFHxA) and from 0.5 (PFHxS) to 21.4 ng/L (PFHxA) in Greek influents and effluents, respectively. The importance of this study lies on the need to consider the wider recovery shifts and expanded variability ranges of PFASs derived from the transport and storage times of dried extracts, particularly when applied to HRMS and wide-scope screening approaches.

Assessment of Environmental Pollution and Human Exposure to Pesticides by Wastewater Analysis in a Seven-Year Study in Athens, Greece

Pesticides have been used in large amounts around the world for decades and are responsible for environmental pollution and various adverse effects on human health. Analysis of untreated wastewater can deliver useful information on pesticides’ use in a particular area and allow the assessment of human exposure to certain substances. A wide-scope screening method, based on liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry, was applied, using both target and suspect screening methodologies. Daily composite influent wastewater samples were collected for seven or eight consecutive days in Athens between 2014 and 2020 and analyzed for 756 pesticides, their environmental transformation products and their human metabolites. Forty pesticides were quantified at mean concentrations up to 4.9 µg/L (tralkoxydim). The most abundant class was fungicides followed by herbicides, insect repellents, insecticides and plant growth regulators. In addition, pesticide transformation products and/or metabolites were detected with high frequency, indicating that research should be focused on them. Human exposure was evaluated using the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach and 3-ethyl-carbamoyl benzoic acid and cis-1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophthalimide were proposed as potential WBE biomarkers. Wastewater analysis revealed the presence of unapproved pesticides and indicated that there is an urgent need to include more transformation products in target databases.

Techniques for the detection and quantification of emerging contaminants

In recent years, the diverse industrial practices and human inputs widely disseminated emerging contaminants (ECs) throughout environmental matrices, which is of great concern. Even at low concentrations, ECs pose major ecological problems and threaten human health and the environment’s biota. Consequently, people’s interest and concerns on the widespread dissemination of environmentally connected ECs of great concern as developed due to their scientific understanding, technical innovation, and socioeconomic awareness. Increased detection of contaminants may occur from climatic, socioeconomic, and demographic changes and the growing sensitivity of analytical techniques. Hence, this article reviews the determination of ECs in ecological specimens, from aquatic setup (river water, marine water, and wastewater), sludge, soil, sediment, and air. Sample collection and the quality measures are summarized. The preparation of samples, including extraction and cleanup and the subsequent instrumental analysis of ECs, are all covered. Traditional and recent extraction and cleanup applications to analyze ECs in samples are reviewed here in this paper. The detection and quantification of ECs using gas chromatography (GC) and liquid chromatography (LC) linked with various detectors, particularly mass spectrometry (MS), is also summarized and explored, as are other possible techniques. This study aims to give readers a more excellent knowledge of how new and improved approaches are being developed and serve as a resource for researchers looking for the best method for detecting ECs in their studies.

Biotransformation of pregabalin in surface water matrices and the occurrence of transformation products in the aquatic environment - comparison to the structurally related gabapentin

The biodegradability of the anticonvulsant pregabalin (PGB) was studied in laboratory incubation experiments in contact with water/sediment systems under different redox conditions. PGB was degraded by biological processes under aerobic conditions reaching half-lives of 8 to 10 d, while inactivated and anaerobic control experiments revealed no significant decrease of PGB concentrations. Within experiments spiked with elevated PGB concentrations, 12 TPs were formed and tentative chemical structures could be proposed by accurate masses and fragmentation pathways detected via measurements with high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-QToF-MS). Four of the proposed TPs were finally confirmed either by authentic reference standards (PGB-Lactam, ISA, TP 157-A (II)) or a self-synthesized standard (NA-PGB). PGB-Lactam was identified as the quantitatively most relevant TP formed via intramolecular cyclization under aerobic conditions, reaching up to 33% of the initial PGB concentration. Incubation experiments spiked with PGB-Lactam revealed three times higher half-lives compared to the parent compound, indicating that PGB-Lactam is more stable than PGB. A comparison with results gained from water/sediment incubation experiments with the structurally related compound gabapentin (GBP) revealed, that the transformation behaviour can be mainly extrapolated to PGB. Most of the observed transformation reactions found for PGB were comparable to the ones found for GBP. The TPs PGB-Lactam and NA-PGB as well as three GBP TPs (GBP-Lactam, NA-GBP and CCHA) have been detected in German wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) effluents and the river Rhine including some of its tributaries such as Main, Neckar, Moselle and Aare. Moreover, GBP and PGB as well as some of their TPs were detected in German bank filtrates and finished drinking waters up to 260 ng L^-1. For that reason these compounds should be monitored in drinking water in the future.

Comprehensive strategy for pesticide residue analysis in cocoa beans through qualitative and quantitative approach

Multiresidue quantitative and qualitative screening method for the analysis of pesticide residues in dried cocoa beans was validated and applied to imported and domestic cocoa beans samples. The quantitative method comprises of 15 pesticides while the screening method covers 110 pesticides of different chemical classes. The method was based on modified QuEChERS (Quick Easy Cheap Efficient Rugged Safe) extraction and detection using triple quadrupole (QQQ-MS) and ion mobility quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (IMS-QTOF). The method was quantitatively validated in terms of linearity, limit of quantification (LOQ), specificity, selectivity, accuracy, and precision. On the other hand, screening detection limits were established for 110 pesticides. Finally, the optimized strategy was successfully applied for the routine analysis of pesticide residues in 137 cocoa bean samples and 32% of the total samples were found positive for ametryn, chlorpyrifos, isoprocarb, and metalaxyl.

Smart Adsorbents for Aquatic Environmental Remediation

A noticeable interest and steady rise in research studies reporting the design and assessment of smart adsorbents for sequestering aqueous metal ions and xenobiotics has occurred in the last decade. This motivates compiling and reviewing the characteristics, potentials, and performances of this new adsorbent generation's metal ion and xenobiotics sequestration. Herein, stimuli-responsive adsorbents that respond to its media (as internal triggers; e.g., pH and temperature) or external triggers (e.g., magnetic field and light) are highlighted. Readers are then introduced to selective adsorbents that selectively capture materials of interest. This is followed by a discussion of self-healing and self-cleaning adsorbents. Finally, the review ends with research gaps in material designs.

A critical review on environmental presence of pharmaceutical drugs tested for the covid-19 treatment

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The outbreak caused a worldwide impact, becoming a health threat to the general population and its professionals. To date, there are no specific antiviral treatments or vaccines for the COVID-19 infection, however, some drugs are being clinically tested. The use of these drugs on large scale raises great concern about their imminent environmental risk, since the elimination of these compounds by feces and urine associated with the inefficiency of sewage treatment plants in their removal can result in their persistence in the environment, putting in risk the health of humans and of other species. Thus, the goal of this work was to conduct a review of other studies that evaluated the presence of the drugs chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, ivermectin, dexamethasone, remdesivir, favipiravir and some HIV antivirals in the environment. The research indicated the presence of these drugs in the environment in different regions, with concentration data that could serve as a basis for further comparative studies following the pandemic.

Application of a fast and sensitive method for the determination of contaminants of emerging concern in wastewater using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe-based extraction and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry

The inefficiency of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to remove contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) leads to their continuous release to the environment. Consequently, CECs are present at low concentrations in the treated wastewater (TWW), producing unpredicted and unwanted effects on living organisms as they are discharged into water receiving bodies. This work presents a fast and reliable method for the determination of CECs in TWW based on the innovative application of a QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) method for water extraction and determination by sensitive liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-linear ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (LC-QqLIT-MS/MS). The scope of the proposed QuEChERS-based method allows the monitoring of 107 CECs, including pharmaceuticals (58), antibiotics (16) and pesticides (33). The proposed method was successfully validated in urban TWW at two concentration levels (50 and 500 ng L^-1) and it is a feasible alternative to conventional and time-consuming solid-phase extraction (SPE) methodologies. 89% of the CECs presented mean recovery values in the 70-120% range with relative standard deviations (RSDs) always < 20% (intra and inter-day precision), and limits of quantification (LOQs) in the range 5-500 ng L^-1 (89% of the compounds showed a LOQ ≤ 50 ng L^-1). The applicability of the method was demonstrated by the analysis of urban TWW samples (7 sampling events). In total, 35 CECs (23 pharmaceuticals, 2 antibiotics and 10 pesticides) were detected in the monitored samples with concentrations ranging from 5 to 677 ng L^-1.

Suspect screening workflow comparison for the analysis of organic xenobiotics in environmental water samples

Suspect screening techniques are able to determine a broader range of compounds than traditional target analysis. However, the performance of the suspect techniques relies on the procedures implemented for peak annotation and for this, the list of potential candidates is clearly a limiting factor. In order to study this effect on the number of compounds annotated in environmental water samples, a method was validated in terms of absolute recoveries, limits of quantification and identification, as well as the peak picking capability of the software (Compound Discoverer 2.1) using a target list of 178 xenobiotics. Four suspect screening workflows using different suspect lists were compared: (i) the Stoffident list, (ii) all the NORMAN lists, (iii) suspects containing C, H, O, N, S, P, F or Cl in their molecular formula with more than 10 references in Chemspider and (iv) the mzCloud library. The results were compared in terms of the number of annotated compounds at each confidence level. The same 8 compounds (atenolol, caffeine, caprolactam, carbendazim, cotinine, diclofenac, propyphenazone and trimetoprim) were annotated at the highest confidence level using the four workflows. Remarkable differences were observed for lower confidence levels but only 4 features were annotated at different levels by the four workflows. While the third approach provided the highest number of annotated features, the workflow based on the mzCloud library rendered satisfactory results with a simpler approach. Finally, this latter approach was extended to the analysis of organic xenobiotics in different environmental water samples.

Sample preparation optimization by central composite design for multi class determination of 172 emerging contaminants in wastewaters and tap water using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry

Multi-residue analysis is highly desirable for water quality control. To this end, a comprehensive workflow for the quantitative analysis of 172 anthropogenic organic compounds belonging to emerging contaminants (pharmaceuticals and personal care products, illicit drugs, organophosphate flame retardants and perfluoroalkyl substances) has been developed for application to wastewater and tap water, based on solid phase extraction (SPE) and Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Due to the large number of analytes with various physicochemical characteristics that should be efficiently extracted, the response surface methodology (RSM) employing a central composite design (CCD) and desirability function (DF) approach was exploited to optimize the sample preparation process, instead of the conventional single-factor analysis. The factors included in the design of experiments (DoE) were sample pH, eluent solvents composition and volume. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) proved the adequacy of the proposed model (2- factor interaction) as p-value < 0.05 followed by different diagnostic tests confirmed the good fitting. The best values to acquire DF close to 1 were pH 3.5, methanol/ethyl acetate ratio 87:13 and eluent volume 6 mL. The streamlined method was validated in terms of accuracy, linearity, method limits, reproducibility, and matrix effect. The proposed workflow combines sensitivity and robustness, with recoveries over 70%, method quantification limits <1 ng/L, and relative standard deviations <20% for most of the compounds. Slight matrix effect (ME) was observed for most of PPCPs, IDs and PFAs, in contrast with most of the OPFRs, for which strong ME was calculated. Method applicability was tested over wastewater collected from a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Thessaloniki (Greece), revealing the presence of 69 and 40 compounds in influents and effluents, respectively, at varying concentrations.

Nationwide surveillance of azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus environmental isolates in Greece: detection of pan-azole resistance associated with the TR46/Y121F/T289A cyp51A mutation

BACKGROUND

Acquired azole resistance (AR) in Aspergillus fumigatus emphasizes the importance of the One Health multisectorial approach. The prevalence of azole-resistant A. fumigatus in the environment of Greece is unknown.

METHODS

Between October 2016 and September 2017, a total of 716 soil samples were collected from 23 provinces and screened for AR using azole-containing agar plates. Recovered isolates were macro-/microscopically identified and colonies were counted. Azole susceptibility testing of A. fumigatus species complex (SC) isolates was performed (EUCAST E.DEF9.3.1). Azole-resistant A. fumigatus isolates were subjected to confirmatory molecular identification and sequencing of the cyp51A gene.

RESULTS

No yeasts were recovered, while multiple moulds grew on 695 (97%) samples. Overall, zygomycetes (most non-Mucor genera) grew on 432 (60%) samples, while Aspergillus spp. grew on 500 (70%) [410 (57%) Aspergillus niger SC; 120 (17%) Aspergillus terreus SC; 101 (14%) A. fumigatus SC; 34 (5%) Aspergillus flavus SC]. The mean ± SD soil load of Aspergillus spp. was 2.23 ± 0.41 log10 cfu/g (no differences among species). No azole-resistant non-A. fumigatus spp. isolate was detected. Itraconazole, voriconazole, isavuconazole and posaconazole MIC50/MIC90 (MIC range) of A. fumigatus SC strains were 0.25/0.5 (0.25 to >8), 0.5/1 (0.25 to >8), 1/1 (0.125 to >8) and 0.06/0.125 (0.06-1) mg/L, respectively. Overall, 1/500 (0.2%) of Aspergillus isolates, and 1/101 (1%) of A. fumigatus SC isolates, was pan-azole-resistant (itraconazole, voriconazole, isavuconazole and posaconazole MIC >8, >8, >8 and 1 mg/L, respectively). The resistant isolate was recovered from organically grown raisin grapes treated with homemade compost and it was an A. fumigatus sensu stricto isolate harbouring the TR46/Y121F/T289A mutation. The soil's load was higher compared with azole-susceptible strains (3.74 versus 2.09 log10 cfu/g).

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first known report of environmental pan-azole-resistant A. fumigatus in Greece. Since data on Greek clinical isolates are lacking, this finding must alarm the systematic local surveillance of AR in medical settings.

Assessment of the presence of transformation products of pharmaceuticals in agricultural environments irrigated with reclaimed water by wide-scope LC-QTOF-MS suspect screening

The transformation that pharmaceuticals can undergo during the water reclamation cycle, or by biotic/abiotic reactions when reclaimed water (RW) is used for irrigation, can lead to the presence of transformation products (TPs) in agricultural environments. However, data on TPs in real crops are scarce. Herein, a suspect screening approach was applied for the comprehensive investigation of 262 potential TPs, associated with 20 prioritised pharmaceuticals found in real tomato crops exposed to long-term RW irrigation. The occurrence and fate of the TPs was evaluated by the retrospective analysis of RW, soil, leave and tomato samples from 4 intensive production greenhouses. Sample analysis was accomplished by liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). Up to 18 TPs were tentatively identified, of which 2 were not previously reported. 7 TPs were finally confirmed with analytical standards. 5 TPs were determined in RW, 15 TPs in soil and 2 TPs in leaves. Remarkably, the investigated TPs were not found in tomato fruits. These results shed light on the variety of TPs that can be found in the water reuse cycle and contribute to the assessment of the global risks of wastewater reuse and the safety of the vegetable and fruit production system.

Ecological risk assessment of pesticides in the Mijares River (eastern Spain) impacted by citrus production using wide-scope screening and target quantitative analysis

The widespread use of pesticides, especially in agricultural areas, makes necessary to control their presence in surrounding surface waters. The current study was designed to investigate the occurrence and ecological risks of pesticides and their transformation products in a Mediterranean river basin impacted by citrus agricultural production. Nineteen sites were monitored in three campaigns distributed over three different seasons. After a qualitative screening, 24 compounds was selected for subsequent quantitative analysis. As expected, the lower section of the river was most contaminated, with total concentration >5 µg/L in two sites near to the discharge area of wastewater treatment plants. The highest concentrations were found in September, after agricultural applications and when the river flow is reduced. Ecological risks were calculated using two mixture toxicity approaches (Toxic Unit and multi-substance Potentially Affected Fraction), which revealed high acute and chronic risks of imidacloprid to invertebrates, moderate-to-high risks of diuron, simazine and 2,4-D for primary producers, and moderate-to-high risks of thiabendazole for invertebrates and fish. This study shows that intensive agricultural production and the discharge of wastewater effluents containing pesticide residues from post-harvest citrus processing plants are threatening freshwater biodiversity. Further actions are recommended to control pesticide use and to reduce emissions.