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Krambeck C, Römerscheid M, Paschke A. Passive sampling of herbicides above sediments at sites with losses of submerged macrophytes in a mesotrophic lake. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169083. [PMID: 38056643 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169083] [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: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Declines of submerged macrophytes (SUM) were monitored in littoral zones of the deep, mesotrophic lake Suhrer See (Northern Germany) since 2017. Drastic losses coincided with intense agriculture in sandy sub-catchments and precipitation. All lines of evidence pointed to a causal connection with subsurface discharge indicating that herbicide application might have caused the effects. Passive sampling was applied in 2022 to elucidate, whether herbicides were really present at sites of losses and if so, in ecotoxicological relevant concentrations. Samplers were exposed on top of lake sediments in 2 m depth and under worst case conditions, i.e., at sites, known for losses of the whole functional group of SUM and at the beginning of the vegetation period. At this time, SUM diaspores were most vulnerable to repression of development and the subsurface discharge was high in the same instance. The potential ecotoxicological relevance of detected herbicide concentrations was assessed with a toxic units (TU) approach, with reference to acute effect concentrations (EC50 of green algae, 72 h, growth). The TU ranged from 0.001 to 0.03. Most concentrations exceeded the threshold of relevance set by an assessment factor of 1000, i.e., TU > 0.001. Locally applied herbicides acted by suppressing developmental stages, and the sum of TU exceeded 0.02 at all sites, mainly due to diflufenican. Not applied locally, terbuthylazine and its relevant metabolites, including terbutryn, acted by inhibiting photosynthesis, and the sum of TU reached 0.005. On this base, diflufenican was assessed to be likely a main stressor, all other detected herbicides to be potentially relevant. Uncertainties and knowledge gaps were specified. The result of the chemical risk assessment was counterchecked for consistence with biological monitoring data within a whole lake perspective. Concepts of empirical and advanced causal attribution methodology were applied to get a grip to the ecological causal field and to protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christiane Krambeck
- NABU Nature Protection Association, local branch, Lange Str.43, 24306 Plön, Germany.
| | - Mara Römerscheid
- UFZ Department of Ecological Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoser Str. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Albrecht Paschke
- UFZ Department of Ecological Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoser Str. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
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Asefa EM, Mergia MT, Ayele S, Damtew YT, Teklu BM, Weldemariam ED. Pesticides in Ethiopian surface waters: A meta-analytic based ecological risk assessment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 911:168727. [PMID: 38007129 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168727] [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: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Abstract
In most developing countries, including Ethiopia, a conspicuous gap exists in understanding risk of pesticides and establishing robust regulatory frameworks for their effective management. In this context, we present a detailed assessment of pesticide risks within Ethiopian aquatic ecosystems in at least 18 distinct surface water bodies, including 46 unique sample locations. Measured environmental concentrations (MECs; n = 388) of current-use pesticides (n = 52), sourced from existing field studies, were compared against their respective regulatory threshold levels (RTLs). The results indicated a scarcity of pesticide exposure data across the majority of Ethiopian water bodies situated within agricultural watersheds. Importantly, surface water pesticide concentrations ranged from 0.0001 to 142.66 μg/L, with a median concentration of 0.415 μg/L. The available dataset revealed that 142 out of 356 MECs (approximately 40 %) of the identified pesticides entail significant acute risks to aquatic ecosystems, with the highest RTL exceedances up to a factor of 8695. Among the pesticide use groups, insecticides exhibited the highest exceedance rate, while this was rarer for fungicides and herbicides. Furthermore, a species-specific insecticide risk assessment indicated aquatic invertebrates (54.4 %) and fishes (38.4 %) are more exposed to pesticide risks, attributable to pyrethroids and organophosphates. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that the presently registered pesticides in Ethiopia carry elevated risks towards aquatic environments under real-world settings. This challenges the notion that pesticides approved through Ethiopian pesticide regulatory risk assessment entail minimal environmental hazards. Consequently, we advocate for the adoption of more refined risk assessment strategies, a post-registration reevaluation process, and, if deemed necessary, the imposition of bans or restrictions on highly toxic pesticides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsai Mati Asefa
- School of Environmental Health, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, 235 Harar, Ethiopia; Department of Biology, College of Computational and Natural Science, Hawassa University, 05 Hawassa, Ethiopia.
| | - Mekuria Theshome Mergia
- Department of Biology, College of Computational and Natural Science, Hawassa University, 05 Hawassa, Ethiopia
| | - Shiferaw Ayele
- Department of Biology, College of Computational and Natural Science, Hawassa University, 05 Hawassa, Ethiopia
| | - Yohannes Tefera Damtew
- School of Environmental Health, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, 235 Harar, Ethiopia; School of Public Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - Berhan Mellese Teklu
- Plant Quarantine and Regulatory Lead Executive, Ethiopian Agricultural Authority, 313003 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Ermias Deribe Weldemariam
- Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Urban Development Studies, Kotebe University of Education, 31248 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Huszarik M, Roodt AP, Wernicke T, Chávez F, Metz A, Link M, Lima-Fernandes E, Schulz R, Entling MH. Increased bat hunting at polluted streams suggests chemical exposure rather than prey shortage. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 905:167080. [PMID: 37722422 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167080] [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: 05/14/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Streams and their riparian areas are important habitats and foraging sites for bats feeding on emergent aquatic insects. Chemical pollutants entering freshwater streams from agricultural and wastewater sources have been shown to alter aquatic insect emergence, yet little is known about how this impacts insectivorous bats in riparian areas. In this study, we investigate the relationships between the presence of wastewater effluent, in-stream pesticide toxicity, the number of emergent and flying aquatic insects, and the activity and hunting behaviour of bats at 14 streams in southwestern Germany. Stream sites were located in riparian forests, sheltered from direct exposure to pollutants from agricultural and urban areas. We focused on three bat species associated with riparian areas: Myotis daubentonii, M. cf. brandtii, and Pipistrellus pipistrellus. We found that streams with higher pesticide toxicity and more frequent detection of wastewater also tended to be warmer and have higher nutrient and lower oxygen concentrations. We did not observe a reduction of insect emergence, bat activity or hunting rates in association with pesticide toxicity and wastewater detections. Instead, the activity and hunting rates of Myotis spp. were higher at more polluted sites. The observed increase in bat hunting at more polluted streams suggests that instead of reduced prey availability, chemical pollution at the levels measured in the present study could expose bats to pollutants transported from the stream by emergent aquatic insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maike Huszarik
- iES Landau, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau in der Pfalz, Germany.
| | - Alexis P Roodt
- iES Landau, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau in der Pfalz, Germany
| | - Teagan Wernicke
- iES Landau, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau in der Pfalz, Germany
| | - Fernanda Chávez
- iES Landau, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau in der Pfalz, Germany
| | - Annika Metz
- iES Landau, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau in der Pfalz, Germany
| | - Moritz Link
- iES Landau, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau in der Pfalz, Germany
| | - Eva Lima-Fernandes
- iES Landau, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau in der Pfalz, Germany
| | - Ralf Schulz
- iES Landau, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau in der Pfalz, Germany; Eußerthal Ecosystem Research Station, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Birkenthalstr. 13, 76857 Eußerthal, Germany
| | - Martin H Entling
- iES Landau, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstraße 7, 76829 Landau in der Pfalz, Germany
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Schemmer A, Wolfram J, Roodt AP, Bub S, Petschick LL, Herrmann LZ, Stehle S, Schulz R. Pesticide Mixtures in Surface Waters of Two Protected Areas in Southwestern Germany. BULLETIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2023; 112:10. [PMID: 38085362 PMCID: PMC10716062 DOI: 10.1007/s00128-023-03830-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Pesticides enter non-target surface waters as a result of agricultural activities and may reach water bodies in protected areas. We measured in southwestern Germany pesticide concentrations after heavy rainfalls in streams of a drinking water protection area near Hausen (Freiburg) and in the catchment of the Queich (Landau), which originates from the biosphere reserve Palatinate Forest. On average, 32 (n = 21) and 21 (n = 10) pesticides were detected per sample and event in the area of Hausen (n = 56) and in the Queich catchment (n = 17), respectively. The majority of pesticides detected in > 50% of all samples were fungicides, with fluopyram being detected throughout all samples. Aquatic invertebrates exhibited highest risks with 16.1% of samples exceeding mixture toxicity thresholds, whereas risks were lower for aquatic plants (12.9%) and fish (6.5%). Mixture toxicity threshold exceedances indicate adverse ecological effects to occur at half of sites (50%). This study illustrates the presence of pesticide mixtures and highlights ecological risks for aquatic organisms in surface waters of protected areas in Germany.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Schemmer
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, iES Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, D-76829, Landau, Germany
| | - Jakob Wolfram
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, iES Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, D-76829, Landau, Germany
| | - Alexis P Roodt
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, iES Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, D-76829, Landau, Germany
| | - Sascha Bub
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, iES Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, D-76829, Landau, Germany
| | - Lara L Petschick
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, iES Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, D-76829, Landau, Germany
| | - Larissa Z Herrmann
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, iES Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, D-76829, Landau, Germany
| | - Sebastian Stehle
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, iES Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, D-76829, Landau, Germany
| | - Ralf Schulz
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, iES Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, D-76829, Landau, Germany.
- Eusserthal Ecosystem Research Station, Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University Kaiserslautern- Landau, Birkenthalstrasse 13, D-76857, Eusserthal, Germany.
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Dulsat-Masvidal M, Ciudad C, Infante O, Mateo R, Lacorte S. Water pollution threats in important bird and biodiversity areas from Spain. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 448:130938. [PMID: 36860036 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.130938] [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: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Chemical pollution is still an underestimated threat to surface waters from natural areas. This study has analysed the presence and distribution of 59 organic micropollutants (OMPs) including pharmaceuticals, lifestyle compounds, pesticides, organophosphate esters (OPEs), benzophenone and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in 411 water samples from 140 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) from Spain, to evaluate the impact of these pollutants in sites of environmental relevance. Lifestyle compounds, pharmaceuticals and OPEs were the most ubiquitous chemical families, while pesticides and PFASs showed a detection frequency below 25% of the samples. The mean concentrations detected ranged from 0.1 to 301 ng/L. According to spatial data, agricultural surface has been identified as the most important source of all OMPs in natural areas. Lifestyle compounds and PFASs have been related to the presence of artificial surface and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) discharges, which were also an important source of pharmaceuticals to surface waters. Fifteen out of 59 OMPs have been found at levels posing a high risk for the aquatic IBAs ecosystems, being the insecticide chlorpyrifos, the antidepressant venlafaxine and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) the most concerning compounds. This is the first study to quantify water pollution in IBAs and evidence that OMPs are an emerging threat to freshwater ecosystems that are essential for biodiversity conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Dulsat-Masvidal
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos Ciudad
- SEO/BirdLife, Melquiades Biencinto, 34, 28053 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Rafael Mateo
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Silvia Lacorte
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
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Photocatalytic Degradation of Paracetamol under Simulated Sunlight by Four TiO2 Commercial Powders: An Insight into the Performance of Two Sub-Micrometric Anatase and Rutile Powders and a Nanometric Brookite Powder. Catalysts 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/catal13020434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The photocatalytic degradation of the emerging contaminant paracetamol in aqueous solution has been studied under 1 SUN (~1000 W m−2) in the presence of four commercial TiO2 powders, namely sub-micrometric anatase and rutile, and nanometric brookite and P25 (the popular anatase/rutile mixture used as a benchmark in most papers). The rutile powder showed low activity, whereas, interestingly, the anatase and the brookite powders outperformed P25 in terms of total paracetamol conversion to carboxylic acids, which, according to the literature, are the final products of its degradation. To explain such results, the physicochemical properties of the powders were studied by applying a multi-technique approach. Among the physicochemical properties usually affecting the photocatalytic performance of TiO2, the presence of some surface impurities likely deriving from K3PO4 (used as crystallization agent) was found to significantly affect the percentage of paracetamol degradation obtained with the sub-micrometric anatase powder. To confirm the role of phosphate, a sample of anatase, obtained by a lab synthesis procedure and having a “clean” surface, was used as a control, though characterized by nanometric particles and higher surface area. The sample was less active than the commercial anatase, but it was more active after impregnation with K3PO4. Conversely, the presence of Cl at the surface of the rutile did not sizably affect the (overall poor) photocatalytic activity of the powder. The remarkable photocatalytic activity of the brookite nanometric powder was ascribed to a combination of several physicochemical properties, including its band structure and nanoparticles size.
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