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Zhao Q, Zhang Y, Li X, Hu X, Huang R, Xu J, Yin Z, Gu X, Xu Y, Yin J, Zhou Q, Li A, Shi P. Evaluating a river's ecological health: A multidimensional approach. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY 2024; 21:100423. [PMID: 38693993 PMCID: PMC11061703 DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2024.100423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Evaluating the health of river surface water is essential, as rivers support significant biological resources and serve as vital drinking water sources. While the Water Quality Index (WQI) is commonly employed to evaluate surface water quality, it fails to consider biodiversity and does not fully capture the ecological health of rivers. Here we show a comprehensive assessment of the ecological health of surface water in the lower Yangtze River (LYR), integrating chemical and biological metrics. According to traditional WQI metrics, the LYR's surface water generally meets China's Class II standards. However, it also contains 43 high-risk emerging contaminants; nitrobenzenes are found at the highest concentrations, representing 25-90% of total detections, while polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present the most substantial environmental risks, accounting for 81-93% of the total risk quotient. Notably, the plankton-based index of biological integrity (P-IBI) rates the ecological health of the majority of LYR water samples (59.7%) as 'fair', with significantly better health observed in autumn compared to other seasons (p < 0.01). Our findings suggest that including emerging contaminants and P-IBI as additional metrics can enhance the traditional WQI analysis in evaluating surface water's ecological health. These results highlight the need for a multidimensional assessment approach and call for improvements to LYR's ecological health, focusing on emerging contaminants and biodiversity rather than solely on reducing conventional indicators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyun Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yangyang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Xiuwen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Xiaodong Hu
- Jiangsu Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Rui Huang
- Jiangsu Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Jixiong Xu
- Jiangsu Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Zilong Yin
- Jiangsu Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Xinjie Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yuncheng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Jinbao Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Qing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Aimin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Peng Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
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Githaiga KB, Njuguna SM, Bargul JL, Liu F, Gituru RW, Yan X. Decadal Assessment of Microplastics, Pharmaceuticals, and Pesticides as Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Kenya's Surface Waters: A Review. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2023; 42:2105-2118. [PMID: 37377343 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Studies investigating microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides as contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in surface water sources in Kenya are reviewed. Contaminants of emerging concern are chemicals that have recently been discovered that may pose a threat to the environment, aquatic life, and human life. Microplastics in surface waters range from 1.56 to as high as 4520 particles/m3 , with high concentrations recorded in coastal waters. The dominant microplastics are fibers, fragments, and films, with foams, granules, and pellets making up only a small percentage. The main source of pharmaceuticals in water sources is not wastewater-treatment plants but rather raw untreated sewage because high concentrations are found near informal settlements with poor sewage connectivity. Antibiotics are detected in the range of the limit of quantification to 320 μg/L, with sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, and ciprofloxacin being the most abundant antibiotics. The high frequency of detection is attributed to the general misuse of antibiotics in the country. A health risk assessment indicated that only ciprofloxacin and acetaminophen posed noncarcinogenic health risks in the Ndarugo River and Mombasa periurban creeks, respectively. Similarly, the detection of antiretroviral drugs, mainly lamivudine, nevirapine, and zidovudine, is associated with human immunodeficiency virus prevalence in Kenya. In the Lake Naivasha, Nairobi River, and Lake Victoria basins, frequently detected organochloride pesticides (OCPs) are methoxychlor, alachlor, endrin, dieldrin, endosulfan, endosulfan sulfate, α-hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH), γ-HCH, and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), some of which occur above permissible concentrations. The presence of DDT in some sites translates to illegal use or historical application. The majority of individual OCPs posed no noncarcinogenic health risk, except dieldrin and aldrin which had a hazard quotient >1 in two sites. Therefore, more surveying and regular monitoring in different regions in Kenya concerning CECs is essential to determine the spatial variability and effective measures to be taken to reduce pollution. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:2105-2118. © 2023 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelvin Babu Githaiga
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Samwel Maina Njuguna
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Fan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | | | - Xue Yan
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
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Ndunda EN, Mwanza MM. Towards miniaturized electrochemical sensors for monitoring of polychlorinated biphenyls. OPEN RESEARCH AFRICA 2023; 6:5. [PMID: 37224321 PMCID: PMC10192943 DOI: 10.12688/openresafrica.13983.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Pollution of our environment as a result of industrialization and other human activities is a growing concern due to the harmful effects of most chemicals that are released into the environment. Of particular interest are the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that are reported to be toxic and build up in the environment due to their persistence. Among the POPs are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which were widely used in the past in various applications ranging from additives in pesticides to dielectric fluids in electrical equipment. As a way of protecting the one health trilogy (environment, human and animal health), their determination in the environment is a paramount call that has seen researchers continue to provide advanced technologies towards achieving this goal. These technologies involve the conventional gold standard gas chromatography systems coupled to sensitive detectors that can detect trace level concentrations. They have come in handy in monitoring of PCBs but their application for routing monitoring may not be sustainable because of the cost of operation associated with them and the need for experts to run the equipment. As a result, there is need for affordable systems that are still able to achieve the required sensitivity for routine monitoring and real-time data acquisition. Sensor systems fit very well in this category since they can be miniaturized for affordability and portray many other desirable features. PCBs as environmentally relevant environmental pollutants have received minimal attention with regards to sensor development and this review highlights the efforts that have been made so far. It provides in-depth discussions on electrochemical sensors and the various modifications that have been employed to date to achieve detection of PCBs at low concentrations as well as the future prospects in remote and routine monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Nthambi Ndunda
- Department of Physical Sciences, School of Pure and Applied Sciences, Machakos University, Machakos, Machakos County, Kenya
| | - Moses Mutiso Mwanza
- Department of Physical Sciences, School of Pure and Applied Sciences, Machakos University, Machakos, Machakos County, Kenya
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