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Yang W, Bu Q, Shi Q, Zhao R, Huang H, Yang L, Tang J, Ma Y. Emerging Contaminants in the Effluent of Wastewater Should Be Regulated: Which and to What Extent? TOXICS 2024; 12:309. [PMID: 38787088 PMCID: PMC11125804 DOI: 10.3390/toxics12050309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Effluent discharged from urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is a major source of emerging contaminants (ECs) requiring effective regulation. To this end, we collected discharge datasets of pharmaceuticals (PHACs) and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), representing two primary categories of ECs, from Chinese WWTP effluent from 2012 to 2022 to establish an exposure database. Moreover, high-risk ECs' long-term water quality criteria (LWQC) were derived using the species sensitivity distribution (SSD) method. A total of 140 ECs (124 PHACs and 16 EDCs) were identified, with concentrations ranging from N.D. (not detected) to 706 μg/L. Most data were concentrated in coastal regions and Gansu, with high ecological risk observed in Gansu, Hebei, Shandong, Guangdong, and Hong Kong. Using the assessment factor (AF) method, 18 high-risk ECs requiring regulation were identified. However, only three of them, namely carbamazepine, ibuprofen, and bisphenol-A, met the derivation requirements of the SSD method. The LWQC for these three ECs were determined as 96.4, 1010, and 288 ng/L, respectively. Exposure data for carbamazepine and bisphenol-A surpassed their derived LWQC, indicating a need for heightened attention to these contaminants. This study elucidates the occurrence and risks of ECs in Chinese WWTPs and provides theoretical and data foundations for EC management in urban sewage facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Yang
- School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology-Beijing, Beijing 100083, China (Q.S.)
| | - Qingwei Bu
- School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology-Beijing, Beijing 100083, China (Q.S.)
| | - Qianhui Shi
- School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology-Beijing, Beijing 100083, China (Q.S.)
| | - Ruiqing Zhao
- School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology-Beijing, Beijing 100083, China (Q.S.)
| | - Haitao Huang
- School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology-Beijing, Beijing 100083, China (Q.S.)
| | - Lei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Jianfeng Tang
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Yuning Ma
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
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Jiang S, Shi B, Zhu D, Cheng X, Zhou Z, Xie J, Chen Z, Sun L, Zhang Y, Xie Y, Jiang L. Cross-contamination and ecological risk assessment of antibiotics between rivers and surrounding open aquaculture ponds. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 344:123404. [PMID: 38244901 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Antibiotics are causing widespread concern as one of the emerging contaminants. There is the abuse of antibiotics in high-density open aquaculture, and the tailwater is often discharged into surrounding rivers. At the same time, the water replenishment of open aquaculture ponds from nearby rivers containing antibiotic contamination from different sources may result in cross-contamination. However, it is still unclear which pollution intensity is greater in rivers or in open aquaculture. So in this paper, the levels of 20 antibiotics (i.e., Fluoroquinolones (FQs), Sulfonamides (SAs), Tetracyclines (TCs), Macrolides (MLs) and Lincosamides (LCs)) in rivers and high-density open aquaculture ponds were investigated in the Baini River basin in the suburbs of Guangzhou, China. The results showed that norfloxacin (NFX) was the predominant antibiotic in river and aquaculture water, with concentrations ranging from 6.12 to 156.04 ng/L and from 7.47 to 82.62 ng/L in both aquatic systems, respectively. As for the pollution intensity of antibiotics, the annual pollution contribution (28.64 kg/a) of the river water supply to open aquaculture is higher than that (10.81 kg/a) of open aquaculture to the river, which means river pollution has a greater impact on aquaculture ponds. The risk quotient (RQ) showed that the ecological risk of lincomycin (LIN), erythromycin (ERY), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), norfloxacin (NFX), ciprofloxacin (CFX) and chlortetracycline (CTC) in rivers and aquaculture environments had high ecological risks from 1.21 to 1.81. Water interactions with contaminated rivers will result in a corresponding increase in the ecological risk of antibiotics in the aquaculture environment. Overall, according to the results, the risk of polluted rivers to open aquaculture cannot be ignored, and it is recommended that open aquaculture should use these water sources with caution, and that the water quality evaluation of aquaculture water should be increased with monitoring indicators for emerging contaminants such as antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenqiong Jiang
- School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, China
| | - Baoshan Shi
- School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, China; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building and Urban Science, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Dantong Zhu
- School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, China; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building and Urban Science, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Xiangju Cheng
- School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, China; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building and Urban Science, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
| | - Zhihong Zhou
- Guangzhou Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, 510030, China
| | - Jun Xie
- Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fishery Resource Application and Cultivation, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510380, China
| | - Zehai Chen
- School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, China
| | - Lubin Sun
- School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, China
| | - Yuda Zhang
- School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, China
| | - Yuzhao Xie
- School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, China
| | - Lexin Jiang
- School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, China
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