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Bade R, van Herwerden D, Rousis N, Adhikari S, Allen D, Baduel C, Bijlsma L, Boogaerts T, Burgard D, Chappell A, Driver EM, Sodre FF, Fatta-Kassinos D, Gracia-Lor E, Gracia-Marín E, Halden RU, Heath E, Jaunay E, Krotulski A, Lai FY, Löve ASC, O'Brien JW, Oh JE, Pasin D, Castro MP, Psichoudaki M, Salgueiro-Gonzalez N, Gomes CS, Subedi B, Thomas KV, Thomaidis N, Wang D, Yargeau V, Samanipour S, Mueller J. Workflow to facilitate the detection of new psychoactive substances and drugs of abuse in influent urban wastewater. J Hazard Mater 2024; 469:133955. [PMID: 38457976 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
The complexity around the dynamic markets for new psychoactive substances (NPS) forces researchers to develop and apply innovative analytical strategies to detect and identify them in influent urban wastewater. In this work a comprehensive suspect screening workflow following liquid chromatography - high resolution mass spectrometry analysis was established utilising the open-source InSpectra data processing platform and the HighResNPS library. In total, 278 urban influent wastewater samples from 47 sites in 16 countries were collected to investigate the presence of NPS and other drugs of abuse. A total of 50 compounds were detected in samples from at least one site. Most compounds found were prescription drugs such as gabapentin (detection frequency 79%), codeine (40%) and pregabalin (15%). However, cocaine was the most found illicit drug (83%), in all countries where samples were collected apart from the Republic of Korea and China. Eight NPS were also identified with this protocol: 3-methylmethcathinone 11%), eutylone (6%), etizolam (2%), 3-chloromethcathinone (4%), mitragynine (6%), phenibut (2%), 25I-NBOH (2%) and trimethoxyamphetamine (2%). The latter three have not previously been reported in municipal wastewater samples. The workflow employed allowed the prioritisation of features to be further investigated, reducing processing time and gaining in confidence in their identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Bade
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia.
| | - Denice van Herwerden
- Van't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Nikolaos Rousis
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Sangeet Adhikari
- School of Sustainable Engineering and Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, United States; Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave., Tempe, AZ 85281, United States
| | - Darren Allen
- Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, QLD 4029, Australia
| | - Christine Baduel
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP, Institute of Environmental Geosciences (IGE), Grenoble, France
| | - Lubertus Bijlsma
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Avda, Sos Baynat s/n, E-12071 Castellón, Spain
| | - Tim Boogaerts
- Toxicological Centre, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Dan Burgard
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA 98416, United States
| | - Andrew Chappell
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR), Christchurch Science Centre, 27 Creyke Road, Ilam, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Erin M Driver
- Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave., Tempe, AZ 85281, United States
| | | | - Despo Fatta-Kassinos
- Nireas-International Water Research Centre and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Emma Gracia-Lor
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Avenida Complutense s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Elisa Gracia-Marín
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Avda, Sos Baynat s/n, E-12071 Castellón, Spain
| | - Rolf U Halden
- School of Sustainable Engineering and Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, United States; Biodesign Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave., Tempe, AZ 85281, United States; OneWaterOneHealth, Arizona State University Foundation, 1001 S. McAllister Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85287-8101, United States
| | - Ester Heath
- Jožef Stefan Institute and International Postgraduate School Jožef Stefan, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Emma Jaunay
- Health and Biomedical Innovation, UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5001, South Australia, Australia
| | - Alex Krotulski
- Center for Forensic Science Research and Education, Fredric Rieders Family Foundation, Willow Grove, PA 19090, United States
| | - Foon Yin Lai
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Arndís Sue Ching Löve
- University of Iceland, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hofsvallagata 53, 107 Reykjavik, Iceland; University of Iceland, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hofsvallagata 53, 107 Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Jake W O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia; Van't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jeong-Eun Oh
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Jangjeon-dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
| | - Daniel Pasin
- Forensic Laboratory Division, San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, 1 Newhall St, San Francisco, CA 94124, United States
| | | | - Magda Psichoudaki
- Nireas-International Water Research Centre and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Noelia Salgueiro-Gonzalez
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | | | - Bikram Subedi
- Department of Chemistry, Murray State University, Murray, KY 42071-3300, United States
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Nikolaos Thomaidis
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Degao Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian 116026, PR China
| | - Viviane Yargeau
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Saer Samanipour
- Van't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; UvA Data Science Center, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jochen Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
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Okoffo ED, Thomas KV. Mass quantification of nanoplastics at wastewater treatment plants by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Water Res 2024; 254:121397. [PMID: 38461599 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play a crucial role in the collection and redistribution of plastic particles from both households and industries, contributing to their presence in the environment. Previous studies investigating the levels of plastics in WWTPs, and their removal rates have primarily focused on polymer type, size, shape, colour, and particle count, while comprehensive understanding of the mass concentration of plastic particles, particularly those <1 µm (nanoplastics), remains unclear and lacking. In this study, pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to simultaneously determine the mass concentration of nine selected polymers (i.e., polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), nylon 6, nylon 66, polyvinylchloride (PVC), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC)) below 1 µm in size across the treatment processes or stages of three WWTPs in Australia. All the targeted nanoplastics were detected at concentrations between 0.04 and 7.3 µg/L. Nylon 66 (0.2-7.3 µg/L), PE (0.1-6.6 µg/L), PP (0.1-4.5 µg/L), Nylon 6 (0.1-3.6 µg/L) and PET (0.1-2.2 µg/L), were the predominant polymers in the samples. The mass concentration of the total nanoplastics decreased from 27.7, 18 and 9.1 µg/L in the influent to 1, 1.4 and 0.8 µg/L in the effluent, with approximate removal rates of 96 %, 92 % and 91 % in plants A, B and C, respectively. Based on annual wastewater effluent discharge, it is estimated that approximately 24, 2 and 0.7 kg of nanoplastics are released into the environment per year for WWTPs A, B and C, respectively. This study investigated the mass concentrations and removal rates of nanoplastics with a size range of 0.01-1 µm in wastewater, providing important insight into the pollution levels and distribution patterns of nanoplastics in Australian WWTPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvis D Okoffo
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
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Tscharke B, Livingston M, O'Brien JW, Bade R, Thomas KV, Mueller JF, Hall W, Simpson BS, Jaunay E, Gerber C, White JM, Thai PK. Seven-years of alcohol consumption in Australia by wastewater analysis: Exploring patterns by remoteness and socioeconomic factors. Drug Alcohol Depend 2024; 259:111317. [PMID: 38692136 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wastewater analysis provides a complementary measure of alcohol use in whole communities. We assessed absolute differences and temporal trends in alcohol consumption by degree of remoteness and socioeconomics indicators in Australia from 2016 to 2023. METHODS Alcohol consumption estimates from 50 wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in the Australian National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program were used. Trends were analysed based on 1) site remoteness: Major Cities, Inner Regional and a combined remoteness category of Outer Regional and Remote, and 2) using two socioeconomic indexes from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) relating to advantage and disadvantage for Income, education, occupation, and housing. RESULTS Consumption estimates were similar for Major Cities and Inner Regional areas (14.3 and 14.4L/day/1000 people), but significantly higher in Outer Regional and Remote sites (18.6L/day/1000 people). Consumption was decreasing in Major cities by 4.5% annually, Inner Regional by 2.4%, and 3.5% in the combined Outer Regional and Remote category. Consumption estimates were higher in socioeconomically advantaged quartiles than those of lower advantage (0%-25% mean = 13.0, 75%-100% mean = 17.4). Consumption in all quartiles decreased significantly over the 7 year period with annual rates of decrease of 0.9%, 3.7%, 3.6%, and 3.0% for the lowest to highest quartile, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Declines in Australian alcohol consumption have been steeper in large urban areas than regional and remote areas. There were smaller annual decreases in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. If continued, these trends may increase Australian health inequalities. Policy and prevention work should be appropriately targeted to produce more equitable long-term outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Michael Livingston
- National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6845, Australia
| | - Jake W O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Richard Bade
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Wayne Hall
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia; National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research (NCYSUR), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Bradley S Simpson
- Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
| | - Emma Jaunay
- Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
| | - Cobus Gerber
- Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
| | - Jason M White
- Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
| | - Phong K Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
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Okoffo ED, Lu WC, Yenney E, Thomas KV. Limited exposure of captive Australian marsupials to plastics. Sci Total Environ 2024; 930:172716. [PMID: 38663626 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
The global concern regarding the ubiquitous presence of plastics in the environment has led to intensified research on the impact of these materials on wildlife. In the Australian context, marsupials represent a unique and diverse group of mammals, yet little is known about their exposures to plastics. This study aimed to assess the contamination levels of seven common plastics (i.e., polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), poly-(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)) in both the diet and faeces of kangaroos, wallabies and koalas sampled from a sanctuary in Northeastern Australia. Quantitative analysis was performed by pressurized liquid extraction followed by double-shot microfurnace pyrolysis coupled to gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Interestingly, the analysis of the food and faeces samples revealed the absence of detectable plastic particles; with this preliminary finding suggesting a relatively limited exposure of captive Australian marsupials to plastics. This study contributes valuable insights into the current state of plastic contamination in Australian marsupials, shedding light on the limited exposures and potential risks, and highlighting the need for continued monitoring and conservation efforts. The results underscore the importance of proactive measures to mitigate plastic pollution and protect vulnerable wildlife populations in Australia's unique ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvis D Okoffo
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Wei-Cheng Lu
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Emma Yenney
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia; iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserlautern-Landau, Fortstraße 7, D-76829 Landau, Germany
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
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Rauert C, Wang X, Charlton N, Lin CY, Tang C, Zammit I, Jayarathne A, Symeonides C, White E, Christensen M, Ponomariova V, Mueller JF, Thomas KV, Dunlop S. Blueprint for the design, construction, and validation of a plastic and phthalate-minimised laboratory. J Hazard Mater 2024; 468:133803. [PMID: 38377910 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Micro and nanosized plastics (MNPs), and a range of associated additive chemicals, have become pervasive contaminants that humans and the environment are exposed to everyday. However, one of the principal challenges in their analysis is adequate strategies to minimise background contamination. Here a blueprint for a specialised plastics and additive-minimised clean room laboratory built for this purpose is presented. Common laboratory construction materials (n = 23) were tested, including acoustic baffles, ceiling materials, floor materials, glazing rubber, and silicone sealant. The % polymer content ranged from 2-76% w/w while the sum concentration of six phthalates ranged from 0.81 (0.73-0.86) to 21000 (15000-27000) mg/kg, assigning many of these materials as inappropriate for use in a clean room environment. The final design of the laboratory consisted of three interconnected rooms, operated under positive pressure with the inner rooms constructed almost entirely of stainless steel. Background concentrations of MNPs and phthalates in the new laboratory were compared to two Physical Containment Level 2 (PC2) laboratory environments, with concentrations of MNPs reduced by > 100 times and phthalates reduced by up to 120 times. This study reports the first known clean room of its kind and provides a blueprint for reference and use by future plastics research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra Rauert
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia.
| | - Xianyu Wang
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia.
| | - Nathan Charlton
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Chun-Yin Lin
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Cheng Tang
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Ian Zammit
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Ayomi Jayarathne
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | | | | | | | | | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
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Okoffo ED, Tan E, Grinham A, Gaddam SMR, Yip JYH, Twomey AJ, Thomas KV, Bostock H. Plastic pollution in Moreton Bay sediments, Southeast Queensland, Australia. Sci Total Environ 2024; 920:170987. [PMID: 38365023 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
The mounting issue of plastic waste in the aquatic ecosystem is a growing source of concern. Most plastic waste originates on land and a significant proportion of this eventually finds its way into the marine environment, which is widely regarded as a major repository for plastic debris. Currently, there exists a substantial gap in our understanding of how much plastic, the main polymer types, and the distribution of plastic in the marine environment. This study aimed to provide information on mass concentrations of a range of plastics in the surface sediments in the semi-enclosed Moreton Bay, just offshore the large city of Brisbane, Southeast Queensland, Australia. Surface sediment samples were quantitatively analysed for a suite of 7 common plastic polymer types (i.e., polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), poly-(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)) using a pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) followed by double-shot microfurnace pyrolysis coupled to gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Pyr-GC/MS). The advantage of this approach is that it can measure plastics below the limit of visual detection. The study revealed that Σ7plastics were consistently present in the samples, although the concentrations displayed a wide range of concentrations from 3.3 to 2194.2 μg/g across different sites. Among the polymers analysed, PE and PVC were found at the highest concentrations, ranging from 2.3 to 1885.9 μg/g and 3.0-979.5 μg/g, respectively. Based on the average concentrations of plastics measured, the dry bulk density and volume of sediments within the top 10 cm of the bay, it was estimated that there is a minimum of 7000 t of plastics stored in the surface sediments of the bay. This study is the first to report the mass concentrations of identified plastics and identify the main polymer types in Moreton Bay. This is important information to develop management plans to reduce the plastic waste entering the coastal marine environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvis D Okoffo
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Emmeline Tan
- School of the Environment, Faculty of Science, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Alistair Grinham
- School of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture, and Information Technology, University of Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Josie Yee Hang Yip
- School of the Environment, Faculty of Science, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Alice J Twomey
- School of the Environment, Faculty of Science, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Helen Bostock
- School of the Environment, Faculty of Science, The University of Queensland, Australia
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7
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Boisseaux P, Rauert C, Dewapriya P, Delignette-Muller ML, Barrett R, Durndell L, Pohl F, Thompson R, Thomas KV, Galloway T. Deep dive into the chronic toxicity of tyre particle mixtures and their leachates. J Hazard Mater 2024; 466:133580. [PMID: 38295724 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
Particles from the tread of vehicle tyres are a global pollutant, which are emitted into the environment at an approximate rate of 1.4 kg.year-1 for an average passenger-car. In this study, popular tyre brands were used to generate a tyre tread microparticle mixture. The chronic toxicity of both particles and chemical leachates were compared on a planktonic test species (Daphnia magna). Over 21 days of exposure, pristine tyre tread microparticles were more toxic (LC50 60 mg.L-1) than chemical lechates alone (LC50 542 mg.L-1). Microparticles and leachates showed distinct effects on reproduction and morphological development at environmentally relevant concentrations, with dose-dependent uptake of particles visible in the digestive tract. Chemical characterization of leachates revealed a metal predominance of zinc, titanium, and strontium. Of the numerous organic chemicals present, at least 54 were shared across all 5 tyre brands, with many classified to be very toxic. Our results provide a critically needed information on the toxicity of tyre tread particles and the associated chemicals that leach from them to inform future mitigation measures. We conclude that tyre particles are hazardous pollutants of particular concern that are close to or possibly above chronic environmental safety limits in some locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Boisseaux
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD Exeter, UK.
| | - Cassandra Rauert
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Pradeep Dewapriya
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Marie-Laure Delignette-Muller
- Université de Lyon 1, CNRS, VetAgro Sup, UMR 5558, Laboratoire de Biometrie et Biologie Evolutive, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Robyn Barrett
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Lee Durndell
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Florian Pohl
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Richard Thompson
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Tamara Galloway
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD Exeter, UK
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8
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Okoffo ED, Tscharke BJ, Li J, Thomas KV. Tracing the origins of plastics in biosolids: The role of sewerage pipe materials and trade waste. Sci Total Environ 2024; 914:169737. [PMID: 38199339 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Plastics are ubiquitous in virtually every environment on earth. While the specific sources of plastics entering wastewater are not well known, growing evidence suggests sewage sludge (biosolids) can be a sink for plastics. One potential source could be the sewerage pipe materials used to transport sewage between premises and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). To evaluate the significance of sewerage piping as a source of biosolids plastics concentrations, we compared the proportion of the total network (by length and surface area) of polyethylene (PE), polyvinylchloride (PVC), and polypropylene (PP) pipes from 10 WWTPs against their biosolids mass concentrations (mg plastic/g biosolid). Among the 10 catchments, the percentage of the network consisting of PP piping ranged from 0 to 1 %, with 0.8-21 % for PE, and 8-73 % for PVC. Biosolids plastics concentrations ranged from 0.09 to 8.62 mg/g (mg plastic/g biosolid) for PP and PE, respectively. For all three plastics, there was no significant Pearson correlation (r < 0.4) between the biosolids concentration (dry weight mg/g) and the proportion of the network material of the sewerage piping as plastic (either length or surface area). A comparison of trade waste entering a subset of 6 WWTP showed the highest biosolid principal components analysis (PCA) associations between loads of plastics (g/day) and automotive wash bays, general manufacturing, hospitals, laboratories, food manufacturing, laundry and dry cleaning, and cooling towers. A stepwise regression analysis indicated pipe length and surface area, as well as automotive wash bays and food manufacturing may be significant. While our data gave mixed results on the attribution of the sources of plastics entering WWTPs, it suggests that sewerage infrastructure and trade waste may play some role. Future studies should investigate the leachability of sewerage infrastructure and contributions from specific trade waste categories to determine their significance in plastics entering WWTPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvis D Okoffo
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Ben J Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia.
| | - Jiaying Li
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
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9
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Okoffo ED, Thomas KV. Quantitative analysis of nanoplastics in environmental and potable waters by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. J Hazard Mater 2024; 464:133013. [PMID: 37988869 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Nanoplastics are emerging environmental contaminants, but their presence in environmental and potable water remains largely understudied due to the absence of quantitative analytical methods. In this study, we developed and validated a pretreatment method that combines hydrogen peroxide digestion and Amicon® Stirred Cell ultrafiltration (at 100 kDa, approximately 10 nm) with subsequent detection by pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Pyr-GC/MS). This method allows for the simultaneous identification and quantification of nine selected nanoplastic types, including poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), polyethylene (PE), polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polystyrene (PS), polyvinylchloride (PVC), nylon 6, and nylon 66, in environmental and potable water samples based on polymer-specific mass concentration. Limits of quantification ranged from 0.01 to 0.44 µg/L, demonstrating the method's ability to quantitatively detect nanoplastics in environmental and potable water samples. Most of the selected nanoplastics were detected at concentrations of between 0.04 and 1.17 µg/L, except for PC, which was consistently below the limit of detection (<0.44 µg/L). The prevalent polymer components in the samples were PE (0.10 - 1.17 µg/L), PET (0.06 - 0.91 µg/L), PP (0.04 - 0.79 µg/L), and PS (0.06 - 0.53 µg/L) nanoplastics. The presented analytical method offers an accurate means to identify, quantify, and monitor nanoplastics in complex environmental and potable water samples. It fills gaps in our understanding of nanoplastic pollution levels, providing a valuable methodology and crucial reference data for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvis D Okoffo
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
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10
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Wang Z, Zheng Q, O'Brien JW, Tscharke BJ, Chan G, Thomas KV, Mueller JF, Thai PK. Analysis of wastewater from 2013 to 2021 detected a recent increase in nicotine use in Queensland, Australia. Water Res 2024; 250:121040. [PMID: 38154341 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.121040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Previous wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) studies have reported decreasing trends of nicotine and tobacco use in Australia before 2017, but there is concern that increasing illicit use of nicotine in vaping products and illicit tobacco could reverse this progress. This study aimed to assess temporal trends of nicotine consumption and specifically tobacco consumption via wastewater analysis in a population in Australia between 2013 and 2021. One week of daily wastewater samples were analyzed every two months from February 2013 to December 2021 in a regional city serving ∼100,000 people. A total of 340 daily samples were analyzed for anabasine (tobacco specific biomarker) and nicotine metabolites, cotinine and hydroxycotinine, using direct injection method by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Daily consumption estimates were calculated from daily flow data, population estimates and previously reported excretion factors. Linear spline regression was performed to identify periods when significant change of slopes occurred and to evaluate the temporal trends. Tobacco use monitored using anabasine as a biomarker, showed a decreasing trend over the whole period with a higher rate of decrease during the first two years (2013-2014, 21 % decrease) compared to the later 7 years (2015-2021, 10 % decrease). Nicotine use, monitored using cotinine and hydroxycotinine, showed a downward trend between 2013 and 2018 (2013-2014: 18 % decrease, p < 0.05; 2015-2016: 6 % increase, p = 0.48; Feb-Dec 2017: 15 % decrease, p = 0.39) followed by a significant increase from 2018 to 2021 (40 % increase, p < 0.001). This finding suggests the increasing use of non-tobacco nicotine-based products. Additionally, the tobacco use estimate by wastewater analysis was higher than the tobacco sales data, which suggests the use of illicit tobacco in the catchment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Wang
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Qiuda Zheng
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Jake W O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Benjamin J Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Gary Chan
- Center for Youth Substance Abuse Research, The university of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Phong K Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
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11
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Schulze B, Heffernan AL, Gomez Ramos MJ, Thomas KV, Kaserzon SL. Influence of extraction windows for data-independent acquisition on feature annotation during suspect screening. Chemosphere 2024; 349:140697. [PMID: 37972864 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Non-target analysis (NTA) using high-resolution mass spectrometry is becoming a useful approach to screen for suspect and unknown chemicals. For comprehensive analyses, data-independent acquisition (DIA), like Sequential Windowed Acquisition of all THeoretical Mass Spectra (SWATH-MS) on Sciex instruments, is necessary, usually followed by library matching for feature annotation. The choice of parameters, such as acquisition window number and size, may influence the comprehensiveness of the suspect features detected. The goal of this study was to assess how mass spectrometric DIA settings may influence the ability to obtain confident annotations and identifications of features in environmental (river water, passive sample extract (PSE)), wastewater (unpreserved and acidified) and biological (urine) sample matrices. Each matrix was analysed using 11 different MS methods, with 5-15 variable size acquisition windows. True positive (TP) annotation (i.e., matching experimental and library spectra) rates were constant for PSE (40%) and highest for urine (18%), wastewater (34% and 36%, unpreserved and acidified, respectively) and river water (8%) when using higher numbers of windows (15). The number of annotated features was highest for PSE (12%) and urine (8.5%) when using more acquisition windows (9 and 14, respectively). Less complex matrices (based on average total ion chromatogram intensities) like river water, unpreserved and acidified wastewater have higher annotation rates (7.5%, 8% and 13.2%, respectively) when using less acquisition windows (5-6), indicating matrix dependency of optimum settings. Library scores varied widely for correct (scores between 6 and 100) as well as incorrect annotations (scores between 2 and 100), making it hard to define specific ideal cut-off values. Results highlight the need for properly curated libraries and careful optimization of SWATH-MS and other DIA methods for each individual matrix, finding the best ratio of total annotations to true positive, (i.e., correct) annotations to achieve best NTA results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bastian Schulze
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia.
| | - Amy L Heffernan
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia
| | - Maria Jose Gomez Ramos
- Chemistry and Physics Department, University of Almeria, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3), 04120, Almería, Spain
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia
| | - Sarit L Kaserzon
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia
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12
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Li J, Choi PM, Gao J, Ren J, O'Brien JW, Thomas KV, Mueller JF, Thai PK, Jiang G. In-sewer stability of 31 human health biomarkers and suitability for wastewater-based epidemiology. Water Res 2024; 249:120978. [PMID: 38071905 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Monitoring urinary markers of dietary, disease, and stress by wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a promising tool to better understand population health and wellbeing. However, common urinary biomarkers are subject to degradation in sewer systems and their fates have to be assessed before they can be used in WBE. This study investigated the stability of 31 urinary biomarkers (12 food biomarkers, 8 vitamins, 9 oxidative stress biomarkers, and 1 histamine biomarker) in a laboratory sewer sediment reactor and evaluated their suitability for WBE, considering their detectability in real wastewater and in-sewer stability. These biomarkers showed various transformation patterns, among which 16 compounds had half-lives <2 h while other 15 compounds presented moderate to high stability (2 to >500 h). Thirteen biomarkers showed potential for WBE because of their consistently measurable concentrations in untreated wastewater and sufficient in-sewer stability. Eighteen biomarkers were unsuitable due to their rapid in-sewer degradation and/or undetectable concentration levels in untreated wastewater using previous methods. Transformation rates of these biomarkers showed generally weak relationships with molecular properties but relatively higher correlations with biological activities in sewers. Overall, this study determined in-sewer stability of 31 health-related biomarkers through laboratory experiments, providing new findings to WBE for population health assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaying Li
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4103, Australia
| | - Phil M Choi
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4103, Australia; Water Unit, Health Protection and Regulation Branch, Queensland Public Health and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia
| | - Jianfa Gao
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jianan Ren
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4103, Australia
| | - Jake W O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4103, Australia; Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4103, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4103, Australia
| | - Phong K Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4103, Australia.
| | - Guangming Jiang
- School of Civil, Mining, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Wollongong, Australia
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13
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Ghorbani Gorji S, Gómez Ramos MJ, Dewapriya P, Schulze B, Mackie R, Nguyen TMH, Higgins CP, Bowles K, Mueller JF, Thomas KV, Kaserzon SL. New PFASs Identified in AFFF Impacted Groundwater by Passive Sampling and Nontarget Analysis. Environ Sci Technol 2024; 58:1690-1699. [PMID: 38189783 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c06591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Monitoring contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in water systems impacted by aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) typically addresses a few known PFAS groups. Given the diversity of PFASs present in AFFFs, current analytical approaches do not comprehensively address the range of PFASs present in these systems. A suspect-screening and nontarget analysis (NTA) approach was developed and applied to identify novel PFASs in groundwater samples contaminated from historic AFFF use. A total of 88 PFASs were identified in both passive samplers and grab samples, and these were dominated by sulfonate derivatives and sulfonamide-derived precursors. Several ultrashort-chain (USC) PFASs (≤C3) were detected, 11 reported for the first time in Australian groundwater. Several transformation products were identified, including perfluoroalkane sulfonamides (FASAs) and perfluoroalkane sulfinates (PFASis). Two new PFASs were reported (((perfluorohexyl)sulfonyl)sulfamic acid; m/z 477.9068 and (E)-1,1,2,2,3,3,4,5,6,7,8,8,8-tridecafluorooct-6-ene-1-sulfonic acid; m/z 424.9482). This study highlights that several PFASs are overlooked using standard target analysis, and therefore, the potential risk from all PFASs present is likely to be underestimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Ghorbani Gorji
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - María José Gómez Ramos
- Chemistry and Physics Department, University of Almeria, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain
| | - Pradeep Dewapriya
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Bastian Schulze
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Rachel Mackie
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Thi Minh Hong Nguyen
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Christopher P Higgins
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | | | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Sarit L Kaserzon
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
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14
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Cook JD, Malik A, Plante DT, Norton D, Langhough Koscik R, Du L, Bendlin BB, Kirmess KM, Holubasch MS, Meyer MR, Venkatesh V, West T, Verghese PB, Yarasheski KE, Thomas KV, Carlsson CM, Asthana S, Johnson SC, Gleason CE, Zuelsdorff M. Associations of sleep duration and daytime sleepiness with plasma amyloid beta and cognitive performance in cognitively unimpaired, middle-aged and older African Americans. Sleep 2024; 47:zsad302. [PMID: 38011629 PMCID: PMC10782500 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsad302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES Given the established racial disparities in both sleep health and dementia risk for African American populations, we assess cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of self-report sleep duration (SRSD) and daytime sleepiness with plasma amyloid beta (Aβ) and cognition in an African American (AA) cohort. METHODS In a cognitively unimpaired sample drawn from the African Americans Fighting Alzheimer's in Midlife (AA-FAiM) study, data on SRSD, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, demographics, and cognitive performance were analyzed. Aβ40, Aβ42, and the Aβ42/40 ratio were quantified from plasma samples. Cross-sectional analyses explored associations between baseline predictors and outcome measures. Linear mixed-effect regression models estimated associations of SRSD and daytime sleepiness with plasma Aβ and cognitive performance levels and change over time. RESULTS One hundred and forty-seven participants comprised the cross-sectional sample. Baseline age was 63.2 ± 8.51 years. 69.6% self-identified as female. SRSD was 6.4 ± 1.1 hours and 22.4% reported excessive daytime sleepiness. The longitudinal dataset included 57 participants. In fully adjusted models, neither SRSD nor daytime sleepiness is associated with cross-sectional or longitudinal Aβ. Associations with level and trajectory of cognitive test performance varied by measure of sleep health. CONCLUSIONS SRSD was below National Sleep Foundation recommendations and daytime sleepiness was prevalent in this cohort. In the absence of observed associations with plasma Aβ, poorer self-reported sleep health broadly predicted poorer cognitive function but not accelerated decline. Future research is necessary to understand and address modifiable sleep mechanisms as they relate to cognitive aging in AA at disproportionate risk for dementia. CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION Not applicable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse D Cook
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Madison VA GRECC, William S. Middleton Memorial Hospital, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Ammara Malik
- Madison VA GRECC, William S. Middleton Memorial Hospital, Madison, WI, USA
| | - David T Plante
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Derek Norton
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Rebecca Langhough Koscik
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Lianlian Du
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Barbara B Bendlin
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Tim West
- C2N Diagnostics, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | | | - Kevin V Thomas
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Cynthia M Carlsson
- Madison VA GRECC, William S. Middleton Memorial Hospital, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Sanjay Asthana
- Madison VA GRECC, William S. Middleton Memorial Hospital, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Sterling C Johnson
- Madison VA GRECC, William S. Middleton Memorial Hospital, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Carey E Gleason
- Madison VA GRECC, William S. Middleton Memorial Hospital, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Megan Zuelsdorff
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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15
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Schulze B, Heffernan AL, Samanipour S, Gomez Ramos MJ, Veal C, Thomas KV, Kaserzon SL. Is Nontarget Analysis Ready for Regulatory Application? Influence of Peak-Picking Algorithms on Data Analysis. Anal Chem 2023; 95:18361-18369. [PMID: 38061068 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c03003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
The use of peak-picking algorithms is an essential step in all nontarget analysis (NTA) workflows. However, algorithm choice may influence reliability and reproducibility of results. Using a real-world data set, the aim of this study was to investigate how different peak-picking algorithms influence NTA results when exploring temporal and/or spatial trends. For this, drinking water catchment monitoring data, using passive samplers collected twice per year across Southeast Queensland, Australia (n = 18 sites) between 2014 and 2019, was investigated. Data were acquired using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry. Peak picking was performed using five different programs/algorithms (SCIEX OS, MSDial, self-adjusting-feature-detection, two algorithms within MarkerView), keeping parameters identical whenever possible. The resulting feature lists revealed low overlap: 7.2% of features were picked by >3 algorithms, while 74% of features were only picked by a single algorithm. Trend evaluation of the data, using principal component analysis, showed significant variability between the approaches, with only one temporal and no spatial trend being identified by all algorithms. Manual evaluation of features of interest (p-value <0.01, log fold change >2) for one sampling site revealed high rates of incorrectly picked peaks (>70%) for three algorithms. Lower rates (<30%) were observed for the other algorithms, but with the caveat of not successfully picking all internal standards used as quality control. The choice is therefore currently between comprehensive and strict peak picking, either resulting in increased noise or missed peaks, respectively. Reproducibility of NTA results remains challenging when applied for regulatory frameworks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bastian Schulze
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Amy L Heffernan
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Saer Samanipour
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
- Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maria Jose Gomez Ramos
- Chemistry and Physics Department, University of Almeria, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3), 04120 Almería, Spain
| | - Cameron Veal
- Seqwater, 117 Brisbane Street, Ipswich, QLD 4305, Australia
- UQ School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, Building 49 Advanced Engineering Building, Staff House Road, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Sarit L Kaserzon
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
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16
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Verhagen R, Kaserzon SL, Thomas KV, Mueller JF, Tscharke BJ. Exploring drug consumption patterns across varying levels of remoteness in Australia. Sci Total Environ 2023; 903:166163. [PMID: 37574069 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) relies on representative sampling that is typically achieved with autosamplers that collect time, flow, or volume proportional samples. The expense, resources and operational know-how associated with autosampler operation means they are only typically available at major wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This results in a lack of data on consumption levels in regional and remote areas, or in countries that lack the financial means. The aim of this study was to estimate and investigate trends in drug consumption across varying levels of remoteness in Australia. Field-calibrated, microporous polyethylene passive samplers were deployed over 2 periods (Aug/Sept 2019 and 2020) at 43 treatment plants covering all five categories of remoteness, as per Australian Bureau of Statistics definitions (Major cities, Inner regional, Outer regional, Remote, and Very remote). The per capita consumption of cocaine, methylamphetamine, nicotine, oxycodone and MDMA were estimated. No spatial trends between remoteness and drug consumption were observed, except for cocaine, where Major cities had a 5-to-10-fold higher consumption compared to the other levels of remoteness in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Outer regional sites had the highest and lowest methylamphetamine consumption. The variance in drug use among sites was much higher in Remote (and Inner/Outer regional) sites when compared with Major cities. A significant and consistent decrease in oxycodone consumption was observed at all sites between 2019 and 2020, possibly related to regulatory changes and the COVID-19 pandemic where elective surgeries were suspended. The majority of sites experienced a decrease in cocaine and methylamphetamine consumption, possibly due to border restrictions or changes in supply and demand dynamics. This was the first extensive passive sampling study to assess drug consumption in urban, regional, and remote locations, demonstrating that passive samplers can facilitate extension of wastewater-based drug monitoring programs to sites where other representative sampling options are very difficult to implement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rory Verhagen
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia..
| | - Sarit L Kaserzon
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Benjamin J Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
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17
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Samanipour S, O’Brien JW, Reid MJ, Thomas KV, Praetorius A. From Molecular Descriptors to Intrinsic Fish Toxicity of Chemicals: An Alternative Approach to Chemical Prioritization. Environ Sci Technol 2023; 57:17950-17958. [PMID: 36480454 PMCID: PMC10666547 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c07353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The European and U.S. chemical agencies have listed approximately 800k chemicals about which knowledge of potential risks to human health and the environment is lacking. Filling these data gaps experimentally is impossible, so in silico approaches and prediction are essential. Many existing models are however limited by assumptions (e.g., linearity and continuity) and small training sets. In this study, we present a supervised direct classification model that connects molecular descriptors to toxicity. Categories can be driven by either data (using k-means clustering) or defined by regulation. This was tested via 907 experimentally defined 96 h LC50 values for acute fish toxicity. Our classification model explained ≈90% of the variance in our data for the training set and ≈80% for the test set. This strategy gave a 5-fold decrease in the frequency of incorrect categorization compared to a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) regression model. Our model was subsequently employed to predict the toxicity categories of ≈32k chemicals. A comparison between the model-based applicability domain (AD) and the training set AD was performed, suggesting that the training set-based AD is a more adequate way to avoid extrapolation when using such models. The better performance of our direct classification model compared to that of QSAR methods makes this approach a viable tool for assessing the hazards and risks of chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saer Samanipour
- Van
’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam (UvA), 1090 GDAmsterdam, The Netherlands
- UvA
Data Science Center, University of Amsterdam, 1090 GDAmsterdam, The Netherlands
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
| | - Jake W. O’Brien
- Van
’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam (UvA), 1090 GDAmsterdam, The Netherlands
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
| | - Malcolm J. Reid
- Norwegian
Institute for Water Research (NIVA), NO-0579Oslo, Norway
| | - Kevin V. Thomas
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD4072, Australia
| | - Antonia Praetorius
- Institute
for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, 1090 GDAmsterdam, The Netherlands
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18
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Li J, Shimko KM, He C, Patterson B, Bade R, Shiels R, Mueller JF, Thomas KV, O'Brien JW. Direct injection liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry as a sensitive and high-throughput method for the quantitative surveillance of antimicrobials in wastewater. Sci Total Environ 2023; 900:165825. [PMID: 37506900 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Environmental antimicrobial pollution and antimicrobial resistance pose a threat to environmental and human health. Wastewater analysis has been identified as a promising tool for antimicrobial monitoring and the back-estimation of antimicrobial consumption, but current pretreatment methods are tedious and complicated, limiting their scope for high-throughput analysis. A sensitive direct injection method for the quantification of 109 antimicrobials and their metabolites in wastewater samples was developed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The method was validated for both wastewater influent and effluent in terms of specificity, calibration range, matrix effect, filtration loss, accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantification (LOQ). Most analytes achieved calibration of R2 > 0.99, and the calibration range was from 0.0002 to 150 μg L-1. Recoveries ranged consistently between ~50 % and ~100 % and losses were attributed to sample filtration. Method LOQs were determined as low as 0.0003 μg L-1, and acceptable accuracy (75 %-125 %) and precision (within 25 %) were achieved for >90 % of the analytes. The method was subsequently further assessed using wastewater of raw influent and treated effluent collected from 6 Australian wastewater treatment plants in 2021. In total, 37 analytes were detected in influent and 22 in effluent. Most of them could be quantified at concentrations ranging from 0.0053 to 160 μg L-1, with benzalkonium chloride-C12, amoxicilloic acid, and cephalexin detected at the highest concentrations. The current study provides a straightforward analytical method for antimicrobial monitoring in wastewater with a fast and simple pretreatment procedure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinglong Li
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Katja M Shimko
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Chang He
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia; Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | | | - Richard Bade
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Ryan Shiels
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jake W O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia; Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, 1090, GD, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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19
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Wang Z, Mueller JF, O'Brien JW, Thompson J, Tscharke BJ, Verhagen R, Zheng Q, Prichard J, Hall W, Humphreys K, Thomas KV, Thai PK. Monitoring medication and illicit drug consumption in a prison by wastewater-based epidemiology: Impact of COVID-19 restrictions. Water Res 2023; 244:120452. [PMID: 37604019 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Drug consumption in prisons is a concern for the safety of incarcerated people and staff. Typically, drug use prevalence in prisons is estimated through urinalysis and intelligence operations, which can be intrusive and stressful. An alternative approach, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), was used in this study to estimate the consumption of licit and illicit drugs for the entire population of a prison in Australia. Wastewater samples were collected from March to December 2020, covering periods of no restrictions and periods when prison access was restricted to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. Target biomarkers were analysed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The average consumption of common illicit drugs (MDMA, methamphetamine and cocaine) over the sampling period in the prison (0.5 - 4.5 mg/1000 people/day) was two to three orders of magnitude lower than in the community population (254 - 1000 mg/1000 people/day). Comparison of WBE estimates against pharmacy dispensing data suggested potential illicit buprenorphine consumption at the prison. Methamphetamine and buprenorphine use decreased when no visitors were allowed (18% - 72% decrease for methamphetamine; about half decrease for buprenorphine) and increased once these restrictions were eased (22% - 39% increase for methamphetamine; 44% - 67% increase for buprenorphine). The changes in drug use may be attributed in part to a reduction of drug trafficking into the prison from visitors or non-essential staffs and in part to the reduced contribution of urine from staff who used toilets within the prison. This study provided useful information on the scale of illicit drug use and extra-medical use of licit drugs in prison, and its changes under different security conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Wang
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jake W O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jack Thompson
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia; Organic Chemistry, Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services (QHFSS), 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, QLD 4171, Australia
| | - Benjamin J Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Rory Verhagen
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Qiuda Zheng
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jeremy Prichard
- Faculty of Law, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 30, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
| | - Wayne Hall
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Keith Humphreys
- Center for Innovation to Implementation, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Heath Care System, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, USA
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Phong K Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia.
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20
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Hulleman T, Turkina V, O’Brien JW, Chojnacka A, Thomas KV, Samanipour S. Critical Assessment of the Chemical Space Covered by LC-HRMS Non-Targeted Analysis. Environ Sci Technol 2023; 57:14101-14112. [PMID: 37704971 PMCID: PMC10537454 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Non-targeted analysis (NTA) has emerged as a valuable approach for the comprehensive monitoring of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) in the exposome. The NTA approach can theoretically identify compounds with diverse physicochemical properties and sources. Even though they are generic and have a wide scope, non-targeted analysis methods have been shown to have limitations in terms of their coverage of the chemical space, as the number of identified chemicals in each sample is very low (e.g., ≤5%). Investigating the chemical space that is covered by each NTA assay is crucial for understanding the limitations and challenges associated with the workflow, from the experimental methods to the data acquisition and data processing techniques. In this review, we examined recent NTA studies published between 2017 and 2023 that employed liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry. The parameters used in each study were documented, and the reported chemicals at confidence levels 1 and 2 were retrieved. The chosen experimental setups and the quality of the reporting were critically evaluated and discussed. Our findings reveal that only around 2% of the estimated chemical space was covered by the NTA studies investigated for this review. Little to no trend was found between the experimental setup and the observed coverage due to the generic and wide scope of the NTA studies. The limited coverage of the chemical space by the reviewed NTA studies highlights the necessity for a more comprehensive approach in the experimental and data processing setups in order to enable the exploration of a broader range of chemical space, with the ultimate goal of protecting human and environmental health. Recommendations for further exploring a wider range of the chemical space are given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Hulleman
- Van
’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, 1090 GD Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Viktoriia Turkina
- Van
’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, 1090 GD Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jake W. O’Brien
- Van
’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, 1090 GD Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Aleksandra Chojnacka
- Van
’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, 1090 GD Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kevin V. Thomas
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Saer Samanipour
- Van
’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, 1090 GD Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- UvA
Data Science Center, University of Amsterdam, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
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21
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Dewapriya P, Nilsson S, Ghorbani Gorji S, O’Brien JW, Bräunig J, Gómez Ramos MJ, Donaldson E, Samanipour S, Martin JW, Mueller JF, Kaserzon SL, Thomas KV. Novel Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Discovered in Cattle Exposed to AFFF-Impacted Groundwater. Environ Sci Technol 2023; 57:13635-13645. [PMID: 37648245 PMCID: PMC10501377 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
The leaching of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from Australian firefighting training grounds has resulted in extensive contamination of groundwater and nearby farmlands. Humans, farm animals, and wildlife in these areas may have been exposed to complex mixtures of PFASs from aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs). This study aimed to identify PFAS classes in pooled whole blood (n = 4) and serum (n = 4) from cattle exposed to AFFF-impacted groundwater and potentially discover new PFASs in blood. Thirty PFASs were identified at various levels of confidence (levels 1a-5a), including three novel compounds: (i) perfluorohexanesulfonamido 2-hydroxypropanoic acid (FHxSA-HOPrA), (ii) methyl((perfluorohexyl)sulfonyl)sulfuramidous acid, and (iii) methyl((perfluorooctyl)sulfonyl)sulfuramidous acid, belonging to two different classes. Biotransformation intermediate, perfluorohexanesulfonamido propanoic acid (FHxSA-PrA), hitherto unreported in biological samples, was detected in both whole blood and serum. Furthermore, perfluoroalkyl sulfonamides, including perfluoropropane sulfonamide (FPrSA), perfluorobutane sulfonamide (FBSA), and perfluorohexane sulfonamide (FHxSA) were predominantly detected in whole blood, suggesting that these accumulate in the cell fraction of blood. The suspect screening revealed several fluoroalkyl chain-substituted PFAS. The results suggest that targeting only the major PFASs in the plasma or serum of AFFF-exposed mammals likely underestimates the toxicological risks associated with exposure. Future studies of AFFF-exposed populations should include whole-blood analysis with high-resolution mass spectrometry to understand the true extent of PFAS exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep Dewapriya
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102 Queensland, Australia
| | - Sandra Nilsson
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102 Queensland, Australia
| | - Sara Ghorbani Gorji
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102 Queensland, Australia
| | - Jake W. O’Brien
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102 Queensland, Australia
- Van
‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1090 GD, The Netherlands
| | - Jennifer Bräunig
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102 Queensland, Australia
| | - María José Gómez Ramos
- Department
of Chemistry and Physics, University of
Almería, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence ceiA3
(ceiA3), Carretera Sacramento
s/n, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería 04120, Spain
| | - Eric Donaldson
- Aviation
Medical Specialist, The Australasian Faculty of Occupational &
Environmental Medicine (AFOEM), The Royal
Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia
| | - Saer Samanipour
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102 Queensland, Australia
- Van
‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1090 GD, The Netherlands
| | - Jonathan W. Martin
- Department
of Environmental Science (ACES, Exposure & Effects), Science for
Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, Stockholm 106 91, Sweden
| | - Jochen F. Mueller
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102 Queensland, Australia
| | - Sarit L. Kaserzon
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102 Queensland, Australia
| | - Kevin V. Thomas
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102 Queensland, Australia
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22
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van Herwerden D, O’Brien JW, Lege S, Pirok BWJ, Thomas KV, Samanipour S. Cumulative Neutral Loss Model for Fragment Deconvolution in Electrospray Ionization High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry Data. Anal Chem 2023; 95:12247-12255. [PMID: 37549176 PMCID: PMC10448439 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c00896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Clean high-resolution mass spectra (HRMS) are essential to a successful structural elucidation of an unknown feature during nontarget analysis (NTA) workflows. This is a crucial step, particularly for the spectra generated during data-independent acquisition or during direct infusion experiments. The most commonly available tools only take advantage of the time domain for spectral cleanup. Here, we present an algorithm that combines the time domain and mass domain information to perform spectral deconvolution. The algorithm employs a probability-based cumulative neutral loss (CNL) model for fragment deconvolution. The optimized model, with a mass tolerance of 0.005 Da and a scoreCNL threshold of 0.00, was able to achieve a true positive rate (TPr) of 95.0%, a false discovery rate (FDr) of 20.6%, and a reduction rate of 35.4%. Additionally, the CNL model was extensively tested on real samples containing predominantly pesticides at different concentration levels and with matrix effects. Overall, the model was able to obtain a TPr above 88.8% with FD rates between 33 and 79% and reduction rates between 9 and 45%. Finally, the CNL model was compared with the retention time difference method and peak shape correlation analysis, showing that a combination of correlation analysis and the CNL model was the most effective for fragment deconvolution, obtaining a TPr of 84.7%, an FDr of 54.4%, and a reduction rate of 51.0%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denice van Herwerden
- Van
’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1012 WX, The Netherlands
| | - Jake W. O’Brien
- Van
’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1012 WX, The Netherlands
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4102, Australia
| | - Sascha Lege
- Agilent
Technologies Deutschland GmbH, Waldbronn 76337, Germany
| | - Bob W. J. Pirok
- Van
’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1012 WX, The Netherlands
| | - Kevin V. Thomas
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4102, Australia
| | - Saer Samanipour
- Van
’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1012 WX, The Netherlands
- Queensland
Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4102, Australia
- UvA
Data Science Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1012 WP, The Netherlands
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23
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Rousis N, Bade R, Romero-Sánchez I, Mueller JF, Thomaidis NS, Thomas KV, Gracia-Lor E. Festivals following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions: Prevalence of new psychoactive substances and illicit drugs. Environ Int 2023; 178:108075. [PMID: 37399770 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
The market for illicit drugs and new psychoactive substances (NPS) has grown significantly and people attending festivals have been identified as being at high risk (high extent and frequency of substance use). Traditional public health surveillance data sources have limitations (high costs, long implementation times, and ethical issues) and wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) can cost-effectively support surveillance efforts. Influent wastewater samples were analyzed for NPS and illicit drug consumption collected during New Year period (from 29-Dec-2021 to 4-Jan-2022) and a summer Festival (from 29-June-2022 to 12-July-2022) in a large city in Spain. Samples were analyzed for phenethylamines, cathinones, opioids, benzodiazepines, plant-based NPS, dissociatives, and the illicit drugs methamphetamine, MDA, MDMA, ketamine, heroin, cocaine, and pseudoephedrine by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. High consumption rates of specific NPS and established illicit drugs were identified at the peak of each event. Furthermore, a dynamic change in NPS use (presence and absence of substances) was detected over a period of six months. Eleven NPS, including synthetic cathinones, benzodiazepines, plant-based NPS and dissociatives, and seven illicit drugs were found across both the New Year and summer Festival. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were seen for 3-MMC (New Year vs summer Festival), eutylone (New Year vs summer Festival), cocaine (summer Festival vs normal week and summer Festival vs New Year), MDMA (New Year vs normal week and summer Festival vs normal week), heroin (summer Festival vs New Year) and pseudoephedrine (summer Festival vs New Year). This WBE study assessed the prevalence of NPS and illicit drugs at festivals following the reduction of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions highlighting the high use of specific substances at the peak of each event. This approach identified in a cost-effective and timely manner without any ethical issues the most used drugs and changes in use patterns and, thus, can complement public health information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos Rousis
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia; Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece.
| | - Richard Bade
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia.
| | - Iván Romero-Sánchez
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Avenida Complutense s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Nikolaos S Thomaidis
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Emma Gracia-Lor
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Avenida Complutense s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
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24
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Beggs C, Mackie R, Vrana B, Prokeš R, Gorji SG, Schulze B, Thomas KV, Mueller JF, Kaserzon SL. Estimation of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances mass loads in the Danube River using passive sampling. Sci Total Environ 2023:164458. [PMID: 37247727 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 05/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
As Europe's second longest river, the Danube is an important water source for drinking water and irrigation for many countries, before discharging into the Black Sea in the East. Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been observed over the last two decades in concentrations exceeding the European Union's drinking water guidelines for total sum of 20 select PFAS of 0.1 μg L-1. Their presence is a result of current and historical use and high environmental persistence, necessitating their monitoring for human risk assessments. The aim of this study is to use recently developed passive sampling technology to calculate time-integrated water concentrations and mass loads of 11 select PFAS at 9 sites along the Danube River. Results indicate ∑11 PFAS concentrations in the range of 9.3-29.6 ng L-1 were not in exceedance of EU drinking water guidelines, but perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) was in exceedance of the environmental quality standard (0.65 ng L-1) at all sampling locations. The highest ∑11 PFAS mass loads were observed at Ruse (9.5 kg day-1) and Budapest (6.3 kg day-1), believed to be driven by proximity to industrial facilities and large populations (urban runoff). Finally, we estimate 4.9 kg of total PFAS (∑11 PFAS) were delivered to the Black Sea daily over Summer 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly Beggs
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia.
| | - Rachel Mackie
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Branislav Vrana
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Roman Prokeš
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Sara Ghorbani Gorji
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Bastian Schulze
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Sarit L Kaserzon
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
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Clokey JE, Hawker DW, Verhagen R, Ghorbani Gorji S, Knight ER, Thomas KV, Kaserzon SL. Calibration of a microporous polyethylene tube passive sampler for polar organic compounds in wastewater effluent. Sci Total Environ 2023; 874:162497. [PMID: 36863593 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Water resources are vulnerable to contamination from polar organic compounds (POCs) originating from sources such as wastewater effluent. Two configurations of a microporous polyethylene tube (MPT) passive sampler were investigated for the time-integrative detection and quantification of POCs in effluent. One configuration contained the polymeric reversed phase sorbent Strata-X (SX) and the other Strata-X suspended in agarose gel (SX-Gel). These were deployed for up to 29 days and analysed for forty-nine POCs including pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) together with illicit drugs. Complementary composite samples were collected on days 6, 12, 20 and 26 representing the previous 24 h. Thirty-eight contaminants were detected in composite samples and MPT extracts, with MPT sampling rates (Rs) for 11 pesticides and 9 PPCPs/drugs ranging from 0.81 to 10.32 mL d-1 in SX and 1.35-32.83 mL d-1 in SX-Gel. Half-times to equilibrium of contaminants with the SX and SX-Gel equipped samplers ranged from two days to >29 days. MPT (SX) samplers were also deployed at 10 wastewater treatment effluent discharge sites across Australia for 7 days (again with complementary composite samples), to validate the sampler performance under varying conditions. Extracts from these MPTs detected 48 contaminants in comparison with 46 in composite samples, with concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 138 ng mL-1. An advantage of the MPT was preconcentration of contaminants, resulting in extract levels often markedly above instrument analytical detection limits. The validation study demonstrated a high correlation between accumulated contaminant mass in the MPTs and wastewater concentrations from composite samples (r2 > 0.70, where concentrations in composite samples were > 3× LOD). The MPT sampler shows promise as a sensitive tool for detecting POCs at trace levels in wastewater effluent and also quantifying these levels if temporal concentration variations are not significant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph E Clokey
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Darryl W Hawker
- Griffith University, School of Environment and Science, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
| | - Rory Verhagen
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Sara Ghorbani Gorji
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Emma R Knight
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Sarit L Kaserzon
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
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O'Brien S, Rauert C, Ribeiro F, Okoffo ED, Burrows SD, O'Brien JW, Wang X, Wright SL, Thomas KV. There's something in the air: A review of sources, prevalence and behaviour of microplastics in the atmosphere. Sci Total Environ 2023; 874:162193. [PMID: 36828069 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Literature regarding microplastics in the atmosphere has advanced in recent years. However, studies have been undertaken in isolation with minimal collaboration and exploration of the relationships between air, deposition and dust. This review collates concentrations (particle count and mass-based), shape, size and polymetric characteristics for microplastics in ambient air (m3), deposition (m2/day), dust (microplastics/g) and snow (microplastics/L) from 124 peer-reviewed articles to provide a holistic overview and analysis of our current knowledge. In summary, ambient air featured concentrations between <1 to >1000 microplastics/m3 (outdoor) and <1 microplastic/m3 to 1583 ± 1181 (mean) microplastics/m3 (indoor), consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene. No difference (p > 0.05) was observed between indoor and outdoor concentrations or the minimum size of microplastics (p > 0.5). Maximum microplastic sizes were larger indoors (p < 0.05). Deposition concentrations ranged between 0.5 and 1357 microplastics/m2/day (outdoor) and 475 to 19,600 microplastics/m2/day (indoor), including polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate. Concentrations varied between indoor and outdoor deposition (p < 0.05), being more abundant indoors, potentially closer to sources/sinks. No difference was observed between the minimum or maximum reported microplastic sizes within indoor and outdoor deposition (p > 0.05). Road dust concentrations varied between 2 ± 2 and 477 microplastics/g (mean), consisting of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene. Mean outdoor dust concentrations ranged from <1 microplastic/g (remote desert) to between 18 and 225 microplastics/g, comprised of polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, polypropylene. Snow concentrations varied between 0.1 and 30,000 microplastics/L, containing polyethylene, polyamide, polypropylene. Concentrations within indoor dust varied between 10 and 67,000 microplastics/g, including polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene. No difference was observed between indoor and outdoor concentrations (microplastics/g) or maximum size (p > 0.05). The minimum size of microplastics were smaller within outdoor dust (p > 0.05). Although comparability is hindered by differing sampling methods, analytical techniques, polymers investigated, spectral libraries and inconsistent terminology, this review provides a synopsis of knowledge to date regarding atmospheric microplastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance of Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia.
| | - Cassandra Rauert
- Queensland Alliance of Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Francisca Ribeiro
- Queensland Alliance of Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, EX4 4QD, Stocker Road, Exeter, UK
| | - Elvis D Okoffo
- Queensland Alliance of Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Stephen D Burrows
- Queensland Alliance of Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, EX4 4QD, Stocker Road, Exeter, UK
| | - Jake W O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance of Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Xianyu Wang
- Queensland Alliance of Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Stephanie L Wright
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London SE1 9NH, UK; National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit (NIHR HPRU) in Environmental Exposures and Health, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance of Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
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Zheng Q, Gerber C, Steadman KJ, Lin CY, Tscharke BJ, O'Brien JW, Hobson P, Toms LM, Mueller JF, Thomas KV, Thai PK. Improving Wastewater-Based Tobacco Use Estimates Using Anabasine. Environ Sci Technol 2023; 57:7958-7965. [PMID: 37192131 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c01510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
In wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), nicotine metabolites have been used as biomarkers for monitoring tobacco use. Recently, the minor tobacco alkaloids anabasine and anatabine have been suggested as more specific biomarkers for tobacco use since nicotine use can be from both tobacco and non-tobacco sources. This study aimed to provide an in-depth evaluation of the suitability of anabasine and anatabine as WBE biomarkers of tobacco and subsequently estimate their excretion factors for WBE applications. Pooled urine (n = 64) and wastewater samples (n = 277), collected between 2009 and 2019 in Queensland, Australia, were analyzed for nicotine and its metabolites (cotinine and hydroxycotinine), as well as anabasine and anatabine. Anabasine performed as the better biomarker, showing a similar per capita load in pooled urine (2.2 ± 0.3 μg/day/person) and wastewater samples (2.3 ± 0.3 μg/day/person), while the per capita load of anatabine in wastewater was 50% higher than its load in urine. It is estimated that 0.9 μg of anabasine was excreted per cigarette smoked. Triangulation of tobacco sales data and tobacco use estimated from either anabasine or cotinine showed that anabasine-based estimates were 5% higher than sales data, while cotinine-based estimates were between 2 and 28% higher. Our results provided concrete evidence to confirm the suitability of anabasine as a specific biomarker for monitoring tobacco use by WBE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuda Zheng
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Cobus Gerber
- Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia
| | - Kathryn J Steadman
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Chun-Yin Lin
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Benjamin J Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jake William O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Peter Hobson
- Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, 24 Hurworth Street, Bowen Hills, QLD 4006, Australia
| | - Leisa-Maree Toms
- School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD 4059, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Phong K Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
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Kasprzyk-Hordern B, Béen F, Bijlsma L, Brack W, Castiglioni S, Covaci A, Martincigh BS, Mueller JF, van Nuijs ALN, Oluseyi T, Thomas KV. Wastewater-based epidemiology for the assessment of population exposure to chemicals: The need for integration with human biomonitoring for global One Health actions. J Hazard Mater 2023; 450:131009. [PMID: 36863100 PMCID: PMC9927796 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
WBE has now become a complimentary tool in SARS-CoV-2 surveillance. This was preceded by the established application of WBE to assess the consumption of illicit drugs in communities. It is now timely to build on this and take the opportunity to expand WBE to enable comprehensive assessment of community exposure to chemical stressors and their mixtures. The goal of WBE is to quantify community exposure, discover exposure-outcome associations, and trigger policy, technological or societal intervention strategies with the overarching aim of exposure prevention and public health promotion. To achieve WBE's full potential, the following key aspects require further action: (1) Integration of WBE-HBM (human biomonitoring) initiatives that provide comprehensive community-individual multichemical exposure assessment. (2) Global WBE monitoring campaigns to provide much needed data on exposure in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and fill in the gaps in knowledge especially in the underrepresented highly urbanised as well as rural settings in LMICs. (3) Combining WBE with One Health actions to enable effective interventions. (4) Advancements in new analytical tools and methodologies for WBE progression to enable biomarker selection for exposure studies, and to provide sensitive and selective multiresidue analysis for trace multi-biomarker quantification in a complex wastewater matrix. Most of all, further developments of WBE needs to be undertaken by co-design with key stakeholder groups: government organisations, health authorities and private sector.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Frederic Béen
- Chemistry for Environment & Health, Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (A-LIFE), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands; KWR Water Research Institute, Chemical Water Quality and Health, P.O. Box 1072, 3430 BB, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - Lubertus Bijlsma
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, E-12071 Castellón, Spain
| | - Werner Brack
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Evolutionary Ecology and Environmental Toxicology, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 13, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Sara Castiglioni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri - IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Science, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Adrian Covaci
- Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Bice S Martincigh
- School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Private Bag X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102 Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Temilola Oluseyi
- Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Research Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102 Queensland, Australia
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Li J, Hosegood I, Powell D, Tscharke B, Lawler J, Thomas KV, Mueller JF. A global aircraft-based wastewater genomic surveillance network for early warning of future pandemics. Lancet Glob Health 2023; 11:e791-e795. [PMID: 37061316 PMCID: PMC10101754 DOI: 10.1016/s2214-109x(23)00129-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023]
Abstract
International airports can have a key role in screening, detecting, and mitigating cross-border transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and potentially other infectious diseases. With aircraft passengers representing a subpopulation of a country or region, aircraft-based wastewater surveillance can be a promising approach to effectively identifying emerging viruses, tracing their evolution, and mapping global spread with international flights. Therefore, we propose the development of a global aircraft-based wastewater genomic surveillance network, with the busiest international airports as central nodes and continuing air travel journeys as vectors. This surveillance programme requires routinely collecting aircraft wastewater samples for microbiological analysis and sequencing and linking the resulting data with associated international air traffic information. With the creation of a strong international alliance between the airline industry and health authorities, this surveillance network will potentially complement public health systems with a true early warning ability to inform decision making for new variants and future global health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaying Li
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| | | | - David Powell
- International Air Transport Association, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ben Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jenny Lawler
- Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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30
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Thomas KV, Bennett DD, Endo J. Delayed Injection Site Reaction to Fremanezumab for Chronic Migraine Treatment. WMJ 2023; 122:146-148. [PMID: 37141484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Fremanezumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody administered through a subcutaneous injection. It is used for treatment of migraines, and occasional injection site reactions have developed after usage. CASE PRESENTATION This case report describes a nonimmediate injection site reaction on the right thigh of a 25-year-old female patient after starting treatment with fremanezumab. The injection site reaction presented as 2 warm, red annular plaques 8 days following a second injection of fremanezumab and about 5 weeks following the first injection. She was prescribed a 1-month course of prednisone that relieved her symptoms of redness, itching, and pain. DISCUSSION Similar nonimmediate injection site reactions have been reported before, but this particular injection site reaction was significantly more delayed. CONCLUSIONS Our case illustrates that injection site reactions to fremanezumab can be delayed after the second dose and may require systemic therapy to alleviate symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin V Thomas
- University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Daniel D Bennett
- University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Justin Endo
- University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin,
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31
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Feraud M, O'Brien JW, Samanipour S, Dewapriya P, van Herwerden D, Kaserzon S, Wood I, Rauert C, Thomas KV. InSpectra - A platform for identifying emerging chemical threats. J Hazard Mater 2023; 455:131486. [PMID: 37172382 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Non-target analysis (NTA) employing high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) coupled with liquid chromatography is increasingly being used to identify chemicals of biological relevance. HRMS datasets are large and complex making the identification of potentially relevant chemicals extremely challenging. As they are recorded in vendor-specific formats, interpreting them is often reliant on vendor-specific software that may not accommodate advancements in data processing. Here we present InSpectra, a vendor independent automated platform for the systematic detection of newly identified emerging chemical threats. InSpectra is web-based, open-source/access and modular providing highly flexible and extensible NTA and suspect screening workflows. As a cloud-based platform, InSpectra exploits parallel computing and big data archiving capabilities with a focus for sharing and community curation of HRMS data. InSpectra offers a reproducible and transparent approach for the identification, tracking and prioritisation of emerging chemical threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Feraud
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Jake W O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Australia; Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Saer Samanipour
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Australia; Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, Netherlands; UvA Data Science Center, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Pradeep Dewapriya
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Denice van Herwerden
- Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sarit Kaserzon
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Ian Wood
- School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Cassandra Rauert
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Australia
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Li D, Zheng Q, Thomas KV, Dang AK, Binh VN, Anh NTK, Thai PK. Use of artificial sweeteners and caffeine in a population of Hanoi: An assessment by wastewater-based epidemiology. Sci Total Environ 2023; 868:161515. [PMID: 36634775 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Monitoring the consumption of artificial sweeteners in the population is essential to help public health authorities understand the level of sugar consumption. There is a gap in knowledge of patterns and levels of artificial sweetener consumption in Vietnam. Using wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), this study aims to evaluate the use of artificial sweeteners in an urban population in Hanoi, Vietnam. A total of 184 wastewater samples were collected at two sampling sites in an urban canal, receiving sewage from over 400,000 people in three different periods between 2018 and 2020. The population normalized per capita consumption of the five detected artificial sweeteners varied from 0.87 mg d-1 p-1 (sucralose) to 5.2 mg d-1 p-1 (aspartame). The daily consumption of artificial sweeteners was found to be stable throughout the week, however the consumption of artificial sweeteners was influenced by season with higher consumption in summer. Significant correlations (p < 0.01) were found among levels of artificial sweeteners and caffeine in urban canal samples, suggesting these chemicals had common sources. Population-weighted consumption load of artificial sweeteners and caffeine was compared in Vietnam, China and Australia, and the per capita consumption load mainly depended on the habitual of tea/coffee drinking in different countries. This was the first study that provided information on the artificial sweetener consumption by wastewater analysis in Vietnam. However, several sources of uncertainty (sample collection, population estimation, other sources of artificial sweeteners in wastewater, etc.) were acknowledged in this study. Further investigations on the spatial-temporal variation of artificial sweetener consumption with more intensive sampling scheme in Vietnam are recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dandan Li
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Food Chain Pollution Control, School of Ecology and Environment, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China; Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Qiuda Zheng
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Queensland, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Queensland, Australia
| | - Anh Kim Dang
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Queensland, Australia; Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi 100000, Viet Nam
| | - Vu Ngan Binh
- Department of Analytical Chemistry and Toxicology, Hanoi University of Pharmacy, 13-15 Le Thanh Tong, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Nguyen Thi Kieu Anh
- Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi 100000, Viet Nam
| | - Phong K Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Queensland, Australia
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33
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Assoum M, Lau CL, Thai PK, Ahmed W, Mueller JF, Thomas KV, Choi PM, Jackson G, Selvey LA. Wastewater Surveillance Can Function as an Early Warning System for COVID-19 in Low-Incidence Settings. Trop Med Infect Dis 2023; 8:tropicalmed8040211. [PMID: 37104337 PMCID: PMC10143724 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed8040211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: During the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia implemented a series of international and interstate border restrictions. The state of Queensland experienced limited COVID-19 transmission and relied on lockdowns to stem any emerging COVID-19 outbreaks. However, early detection of new outbreaks was difficult. In this paper, we describe the wastewater surveillance program for SARS-CoV-2 in Queensland, Australia, and report two case studies in which we aimed to assess the potential for this program to provide early warning of new community transmission of COVID-19. Both case studies involved clusters of localised transmission, one originating in a Brisbane suburb (Brisbane Inner West) in July–August 2021, and the other originating in Cairns, North Queensland in February–March 2021. Materials and Methods: Publicly available COVID-19 case data derived from the notifiable conditions (NoCs) registry from the Queensland Health data portal were cleaned and merged spatially with the wastewater surveillance data using statistical area 2 (SA2) codes. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value of wastewater detection for predicting the presence of COVID-19 reported cases were calculated for the two case study sites. Results: Early warnings for local transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through wastewater surveillance were noted in both the Brisbane Inner West cluster and the Cairns cluster. The positive predictive value of wastewater detection for the presence of notified cases of COVID-19 in Brisbane Inner West and Cairns were 71.4% and 50%, respectively. The negative predictive value for Brisbane Inner West and Cairns were 94.7% and 100%, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the utility of wastewater surveillance as an early warning tool in low COVID-19 transmission settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamad Assoum
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia
| | - Colleen L. Lau
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia
| | - Phong K. Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jochen F. Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V. Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Phil Min Choi
- Health Protection Branch, Queensland Health, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia
| | - Greg Jackson
- Health Protection Branch, Queensland Health, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia
| | - Linda A. Selvey
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia
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Thai PK, Tscharke BJ, O'Brien J, Gartner C, Bade R, Gerber C, White JM, Zheng Q, Wang Z, Thomas KV, Mueller JF. Increased Nicotine Consumption in Australia During the First Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Nicotine Tob Res 2023; 25:1194-1197. [PMID: 36889356 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntac275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Mixed findings have been reported about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on smoking behavior in different populations. AIMS AND METHODS In this study, we aimed to quantify changes in smoking prevalence through the proxy of nicotine consumption in the Australian population from 2017 to 2020 inclusive. Estimates of nicotine consumption between 2017 and 2020 were retrieved from a national wastewater monitoring program that covers up to 50% of the Australian population. National sales data for nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products from 2017 to 2020 were also acquired. Linear regression and pairwise comparison were conducted to identify data trends and to test differences between time periods. RESULTS The average consumption of nicotine in Australia decreased between 2017 and 2019 but increased in 2020. Estimated consumption in the first half of 2020 was significantly higher (~30%) than the previous period. Sales of NRT products increased gradually from 2017 to 2020 although sales in the first half of the year were consistently lower than in the second half. CONCLUSION Total nicotine consumption increased in Australia during the early stage of the pandemic in 2020. Increased nicotine consumption may be due to people managing higher stress levels, such as from loneliness due to control measures, and also greater opportunities to smoke/vape while working from home and during lockdowns in the early stage of the pandemic. IMPLICATIONS Tobacco and nicotine consumption have been decreasing in Australia but the COVID-19 pandemic may have temporarily disrupted this trend. In 2020, the higher impacts of lockdowns and working from home arrangements may have led to a temporary reversal of the previous downward trend in smoking during the early stage of the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phong K Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Benjamin J Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Jake O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Coral Gartner
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia.,School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD, 4006, Australia
| | - Richard Bade
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia.,Health and Biomedical Innovation, UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5001, South Australia, Australia
| | - Cobus Gerber
- Health and Biomedical Innovation, UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5001, South Australia, Australia
| | - Jason M White
- Health and Biomedical Innovation, UniSA: Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5001, South Australia, Australia
| | - Qiuda Zheng
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Zhe Wang
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
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Tscharke BJ, O'Brien JW, Ahmed F, Nguyen L, Ghetia M, Chan G, Thai P, Gerber C, Bade R, Mueller J, Thomas KV, White J, Hall W. A wastewater-based evaluation of the effectiveness of codeine control measures in Australia. Addiction 2023; 118:480-488. [PMID: 36367203 PMCID: PMC10099390 DOI: 10.1111/add.16083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM From 1 February 2018, codeine was rescheduled from an over-the-counter (OTC) to a prescription-only medicine in Australia. We used wastewater-based epidemiology to measure changes in population codeine consumption before and after rescheduling. METHODS We analysed 3703 wastewater samples from 48 wastewater treatment plants, taken between August 2016 and August 2019. Our samples represented 10.6 million people, 45% of the Australian population in state capitals and regional areas in each state or territory. Codeine concentrations were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and converted to per-capita consumption estimates using the site daily wastewater volume, catchment populations and codeine excretion kinetics. RESULTS Average per-capita consumption of codeine decreased by 37% nationally immediately after the rescheduling in February 2018 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 35.3-39.4%] and substantially in all states between 24 and 51% (95% CI = 22.4-27.0% and 41.8-59.4%). The decrease was sustained at the lower level to August 2019. Locations with least pharmacy access decreased by 51% (95% CI = 41.7-61.7%), a greater decrease than 37% observed for those with greater pharmacy access (95% CI = 35.1-39.4%). Regional areas decreased by a smaller margin to cities (32 versus 38%, 95% CI = 30.2-34.1% versus 34.9-40.4%, respectively) from a base per-capita usage approximately 40% higher than cities. CONCLUSION Wastewater analysis shows that codeine consumption in Australia decreased by approximately 37% following its rescheduling as a prescription-only medicine in 2018. Wastewater-based epidemiology can be used to evaluate changes in population pharmaceutical consumption in responses to changes in drug scheduling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jake W O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Fahad Ahmed
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Lynn Nguyen
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Maulik Ghetia
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Gary Chan
- National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Phong Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Cobus Gerber
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Richard Bade
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Jochen Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jason White
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Wayne Hall
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia.,National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
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Thomas KV, Wilbrand SM, Hess T, Maybock J, Lee Y, Kerwin B, Metoxen M, Danforth D, Riesenberg A, Dempsey RJ, Mitchell C. Abstract P470: Total Plaque Area and Association With Stroke Risk Factors in a Native American Population. Circulation 2023. [DOI: 10.1161/circ.147.suppl_1.p470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
Abstract
Objective:
Total plaque area (TPA) has been associated with stroke risk factors; however, it has not been well studied in a Native American population. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship of TPA with stroke risk factors (RF).
Methods:
Participants enrolled in the “Stroke Prevention in the Wisconsin Native American Population” (n=119) underwent a health history risk assessment, cognitive testing, carotid ultrasound to measure TPA, and a meeting with a health wellness coach. TPA for each participant was measured using the LifeQ Medical Plaque Analysis Software (Nicosia, Cyprus). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (SPSS, IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA) and SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Descriptive statistics for continuous variables are reported as the median and interquartile range (IQR). Spearman rho correlation was used to examine relationships between total plaque area and stroke risk factors. Robust M—estimation was used to examine which risk factors predicted TPA after adjustment for other covariates.
Results:
Of the 119 participants, 22 (18.5%) had no plaque and 97 (81.5%) had plaque, 100 (83.3%) were identified as high-risk (≥55 years with three risk factors for stroke) and 19 (15.8%) low-risk (≥55 years with fewer than three risk factors for stroke). Median participant age was 65 (IQR=11.0) years of age, 78.3% female. In univariate analyses, TPA was significantly associated with age (r
s
=.259;p=.005) and body mass index (BMI) (r
s
=-.300;p<.001). In a multivariable robust M-estimation model (including age, sex, BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c, physical activity, and categorical variables (yes/no) current smoker, history of high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, diabetes, hypertension, and transient ischemic attack), only age (p=.03), sex (p=.012), and hemoglobin A1c (p=.028) remained significant for predicting total plaque area (r
2
=16.5%).
Conclusion:
Multivariate analysis demonstrated that age, sex, and hemoglobin A1c predicted TPA. Further work is needed to understand how both traditional and non-traditional stroke RFs may affect the risk of stroke in Native Americans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Yurim Lee
- Univ of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing-Jie Ni
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Eun-Ju Kim
- Water Cycle Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, South Korea
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Ahmed F, Tscharke B, O'Brien JW, Hall WD, Cabot PJ, Sowa PM, Samanipour S, Thomas KV. National Wastewater Reconnaissance of Analgesic Consumption in Australia. Environ Sci Technol 2023; 57:1712-1720. [PMID: 36637365 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c06691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
A wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) method is presented to estimate analgesic consumption and assess the burden of treated pain in Australian communities. Wastewater influent samples from 60 communities, representing ∼52% of Australia's population, were analyzed to quantify the concentration of analgesics used to treat pain and converted to estimates of the amount of drug consumed per day per 1000 inhabitants using pharmacokinetics and WBE data. Consumption was standardized to the defined daily dose per day per 1000 people. The population burden of pain treatment was classified as mild to moderate pain (for non-opioid analgesics) and strong to severe pain (for opioid analgesics). The mean per capita weighted total DDD of non-opioid analgesics was 0.029 DDD/day/person, and that of opioid-based analgesics was 0.037 DDD/day/person across Australia. A greater burden of pain (mild to moderate or strong to severe pain index) was observed at regional and remote sites. The correlation analysis of pain indices with different socioeconomic descriptors revealed that pain affects populations from high to low socioeconomic groups. Australians spent an estimated US $3.5 (AU $5) per day on analgesics. Our findings suggest that WBE could be an effective surveillance tool for estimating the consumption of analgesics at a population scale and assessing the total treated pain burden in communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fahad Ahmed
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland4102, Australia
| | - Benjamin Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland4102, Australia
| | - Jake W O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland4102, Australia
| | - Wayne D Hall
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland4102, Australia
- Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, The University of Queensland, Herston, Brisbane, Queensland4029, Australia
| | - Peter J Cabot
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland4102, Australia
| | - P Marcin Sowa
- Centre for the Business and Economics of Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland4067, Australia
| | - Saer Samanipour
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland4102, Australia
- Van't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam1090, The Netherlands
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland4102, Australia
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Okoffo ED, Rauert C, Thomas KV. Mass quantification of microplastic at wastewater treatment plants by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Sci Total Environ 2023; 856:159251. [PMID: 36208740 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are a central point of collection of plastic particles from households and industry and for their re-distribution into the environment. Existing studies evaluating levels of plastics in WWTPs, and their removal rates have reported and used data on polymer type, size, shape, colour, and number of plastic particles, while the total mass concentration of plastic particles (especially >1 μm) remains unclear and unknown. To address this knowledge gap, raw influent, effluent, and reference water samples from three WWTPs in Australia were collected to analyse the mass concentrations and removal rates of seven common plastics (>1 μm in size) across the treatment schemes. Quantitative analysis was performed by pressurized liquid extraction followed by pyrolysis coupled to gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Results showed that the total plastic content in the WWTPs raw influent samples was between 840 and 3116 μg/L, resulting in an inflow of between about 2.1 and 196.4 kg/day of the total measured plastics. Overall, >99 % by mass of the plastics entering the three WWTPs from the raw influent was removed during the pre-treatment stages, presumably ending up in the sewage sludge, which means emissions (via treated effluent) from the treatment plants are low. Compared with the raw influent, the plastic mass concentrations in the treated effluents (i.e., Class C, A, and final effluent) from the three WWTPs, as well as the reference water samples within their catchments were below the limits of reporting. Of the five quantified plastic types, polyethylene (PE, 76.4 %), and polyvinylchloride (PVC, 21 %) dominated by mass, while polyethylene terephthalate (PET, 1.9 %), polypropylene (PP, 0.4 %) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA, 0.3 %) accounted for a small proportion of the total. Overall, this study investigated the mass concentrations of plastic particles above 1 μm in wastewater and their removal, which provided valuable information regarding the pollution level and distribution characteristics of plastic polymers in Australian WWTPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvis D Okoffo
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Cassandra Rauert
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
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Rauert C, Vardy S, Daniell B, Charlton N, Thomas KV. Tyre additive chemicals, tyre road wear particles and high production polymers in surface water at 5 urban centres in Queensland, Australia. Sci Total Environ 2022; 852:158468. [PMID: 36075411 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Plastics pollution is a global issue impacting every part of our environment. Tyre road wear particle (TRWP) plastics pollution is thought to be one of the largest pollution sources in urban environments. These plastics are also of concern due to the presence of additive chemicals, incorporated during manufacture, that can be released into the surrounding environment. This study aimed to provide information on concentrations of a range of anthropogenic plastics related pollutants in the Australian environment through a scoping study of surface water in 5 key urban centres around Queensland, Australia. Samples were analysed for a suite of 15 common tyre additive chemicals, TRWPs and 6 common high production polymers, and included the new transformation product of concern 6PPD-quinone which has recent reports of causing mass mortality events in certain aquatic species. The additives were ubiquitously detected (2.9-1440 ng/L) with 6PPD-quinone concentrations lower than in previous studies (<0.05-24 ng/L) and TRWPs detected at 18 of the 21 sites (
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra Rauert
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, QLD, Australia.
| | - Suzanne Vardy
- Water Quality and Investigation, Water Ecosystem Sciences, Science Division, Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia
| | | | - Nathan Charlton
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, QLD, Australia
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Ribeiro F, Mitrano DM, Hacker C, Cherek P, Brigden K, Kaserzon SL, Thomas KV, Galloway TS. Short Depuration of Oysters Intended for Human Consumption Is Effective at Reducing Exposure to Nanoplastics. Environ Sci Technol 2022; 56:16716-16725. [PMID: 36383416 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Nanoplastics (NPs; <1 μm) have greater availability to marine organisms than microplastics (1-5000 μm). Understanding NP uptake and depuration in marine organisms intended for human consumption is imperative for food safety, but until now it has been limited due to analytical constraints. Oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were exposed to polystyrene NPs doped with palladium (Pd), allowing the measurements of their uptake into tissues by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) combined with electron microscopy. Oysters were exposed for 6 days (d) to "Smooth" or "Raspberry" NPs, followed by 30 d of depuration with the aim of assessing the NP concentration in C. gigas following exposure, inferring the accumulation and elimination rates, and understanding the clearance of Pd NPs during the depuration period. After 6 d, the most significant accumulation was found in the digestive gland (106.6 and 135.3 μg g-1 dw, for Smooth and Raspberry NPs, respectively) and showed the most evident depuration (elimination rate constant KSmooth = 2 d-1 and KRaspberry = 0.2 d-1). Almost complete depuration of the Raspberry NPs occurred after 30 d. While a post-harvesting depuration period of 24-48 h for oysters could potentially reduce the NP content by 75%, more research to validate these findings, including depuration studies of oysters from the field, is required to inform practices to reduce human exposure through consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisca Ribeiro
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, U.K
| | - Denise M Mitrano
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Hacker
- Bioimaging Centre, Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, U.K
| | - Paulina Cherek
- Bioimaging Centre, Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, U.K
| | - Kevin Brigden
- Greenpeace Research Laboratories, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Innovation Centre Phase 2, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RN, U.K
| | - Sarit Leat Kaserzon
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Tamara S Galloway
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, U.K
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Tan X, Dewapriya P, Prasad P, Chang Y, Huang X, Wang Y, Gong X, Hopkins TE, Fu C, Thomas KV, Peng H, Whittaker AK, Zhang C. Efficient Removal of Perfluorinated Chemicals from Contaminated Water Sources Using Magnetic Fluorinated Polymer Sorbents. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202213071. [PMID: 36225164 PMCID: PMC10946870 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202213071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Efficient removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from contaminated waters is urgently needed to safeguard public and environmental health. In this work, novel magnetic fluorinated polymer sorbents were designed to allow efficient capture of PFAS and fast magnetic recovery of the sorbed material. The new sorbent has superior PFAS removal efficiency compared with the commercially available activated carbon and ion-exchange resins. The removal of the ammonium salt of hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (GenX) reaches >99 % within 30 s, and the estimated sorption capacity was 219 mg g-1 based on the Langmuir model. Robust and efficient regeneration of the magnetic polymer sorbent was confirmed by the repeated sorption and desorption of GenX over four cycles. The sorption of multiple PFAS in two real contaminated water matrices at an environmentally relevant concentration (1 ppb) shows >95 % removal for the majority of PFAS tested in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Tan
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and NanotechnologyThe University of QueenslandCorner College and Cooper Rds (Bldg 75)BrisbaneQueensland4072Australia
| | - Pradeep Dewapriya
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health SciencesThe University of Queensland, Level 420 Cornwall StreetWoolloongabbaQueensland4102Australia
| | - Pritesh Prasad
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health SciencesThe University of Queensland, Level 420 Cornwall StreetWoolloongabbaQueensland4102Australia
| | - Yixin Chang
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and NanotechnologyThe University of QueenslandCorner College and Cooper Rds (Bldg 75)BrisbaneQueensland4072Australia
| | - Xumin Huang
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and NanotechnologyThe University of QueenslandCorner College and Cooper Rds (Bldg 75)BrisbaneQueensland4072Australia
| | - Yiqing Wang
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and NanotechnologyThe University of QueenslandCorner College and Cooper Rds (Bldg 75)BrisbaneQueensland4072Australia
| | - Xiaokai Gong
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and NanotechnologyThe University of QueenslandCorner College and Cooper Rds (Bldg 75)BrisbaneQueensland4072Australia
| | - Timothy E. Hopkins
- The Chemours Company, Chemours Discovery Hub201 Discovery BoulevardNewarkDE 19713USA
| | - Changkui Fu
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and NanotechnologyThe University of QueenslandCorner College and Cooper Rds (Bldg 75)BrisbaneQueensland4072Australia
| | - Kevin V. Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health SciencesThe University of Queensland, Level 420 Cornwall StreetWoolloongabbaQueensland4102Australia
| | - Hui Peng
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and NanotechnologyThe University of QueenslandCorner College and Cooper Rds (Bldg 75)BrisbaneQueensland4072Australia
| | - Andrew K. Whittaker
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and NanotechnologyThe University of QueenslandCorner College and Cooper Rds (Bldg 75)BrisbaneQueensland4072Australia
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and NanotechnologyThe University of QueenslandCorner College and Cooper Rds (Bldg 75)BrisbaneQueensland4072Australia
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Campbell G, Mannetje A, Keer S, Eaglesham G, Wang X, Lin CY, Hobson P, Toms LM, Douwes J, Thomas KV, Mueller JF, Kaserzon S. Characterization of glyphosate and AMPA concentrations in the urine of Australian and New Zealand populations. Sci Total Environ 2022; 847:157585. [PMID: 35882334 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Glyphosate is the most used herbicide globally, but our understanding of human exposure and how different uses affect exposure is not well understood. The aim of this study was to obtain the first data on glyphosate and its primary degradation product aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) concentrations in pooled and individual urine from the Australia and New Zealand region using a sensitive direct injection method and compare results with studies from elsewhere. Pooled urine samples from the Australian general population (n = 125 pools representing >1875 individuals) and individual urine samples (n = 27) from occupationally exposed New Zealand farmers were analysed by LC-MS/MS. Glyphosate was detected above the LOD (0.20-1.25 μg/L) in 8 % of the Australian population pooled urine samples with most detections in the 45-60 years age group. Furthermore, glyphosate (0.85 to 153 μg/L) and AMPA (0.50 to 3.35 μg/L) were detected in 96 % and 33 % of farmers, respectively. The maximum glyphosate urine concentration was 1.7 times above the recommended acceptable daily intake (ADI), when assuming a urinary excretion rate of 1 %. The pooled sampling and analysis approach proved effective for rapid large-scale screening of populations and could be used to determine where targeted and more specific individual sampling may be required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garth Campbell
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia.
| | - Andrea Mannetje
- Research Centre for Hauora and Health, Massey University, New Zealand
| | - Samuel Keer
- Research Centre for Hauora and Health, Massey University, New Zealand
| | - Geoff Eaglesham
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Xianyu Wang
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Chun-Yin Lin
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Peter Hobson
- Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, Fortitude Valley, QLD 4006, Australia
| | - Leisa-Maree Toms
- School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia
| | - Jeroen Douwes
- Research Centre for Hauora and Health, Massey University, New Zealand
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
| | - Sarit Kaserzon
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia
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Mohammed Taha H, Aalizadeh R, Alygizakis N, Antignac JP, Arp HPH, Bade R, Baker N, Belova L, Bijlsma L, Bolton EE, Brack W, Celma A, Chen WL, Cheng T, Chirsir P, Čirka Ľ, D’Agostino LA, Djoumbou Feunang Y, Dulio V, Fischer S, Gago-Ferrero P, Galani A, Geueke B, Głowacka N, Glüge J, Groh K, Grosse S, Haglund P, Hakkinen PJ, Hale SE, Hernandez F, Janssen EML, Jonkers T, Kiefer K, Kirchner M, Koschorreck J, Krauss M, Krier J, Lamoree MH, Letzel M, Letzel T, Li Q, Little J, Liu Y, Lunderberg DM, Martin JW, McEachran AD, McLean JA, Meier C, Meijer J, Menger F, Merino C, Muncke J, Muschket M, Neumann M, Neveu V, Ng K, Oberacher H, O’Brien J, Oswald P, Oswaldova M, Picache JA, Postigo C, Ramirez N, Reemtsma T, Renaud J, Rostkowski P, Rüdel H, Salek RM, Samanipour S, Scheringer M, Schliebner I, Schulz W, Schulze T, Sengl M, Shoemaker BA, Sims K, Singer H, Singh RR, Sumarah M, Thiessen PA, Thomas KV, Torres S, Trier X, van Wezel AP, Vermeulen RCH, Vlaanderen JJ, von der Ohe PC, Wang Z, Williams AJ, Willighagen EL, Wishart DS, Zhang J, Thomaidis NS, Hollender J, Slobodnik J, Schymanski EL. The NORMAN Suspect List Exchange (NORMAN-SLE): facilitating European and worldwide collaboration on suspect screening in high resolution mass spectrometry. Environ Sci Eur 2022; 34:104. [PMID: 36284750 PMCID: PMC9587084 DOI: 10.1186/s12302-022-00680-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Background The NORMAN Association (https://www.norman-network.com/) initiated the NORMAN Suspect List Exchange (NORMAN-SLE; https://www.norman-network.com/nds/SLE/) in 2015, following the NORMAN collaborative trial on non-target screening of environmental water samples by mass spectrometry. Since then, this exchange of information on chemicals that are expected to occur in the environment, along with the accompanying expert knowledge and references, has become a valuable knowledge base for "suspect screening" lists. The NORMAN-SLE now serves as a FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) chemical information resource worldwide. Results The NORMAN-SLE contains 99 separate suspect list collections (as of May 2022) from over 70 contributors around the world, totalling over 100,000 unique substances. The substance classes include per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pharmaceuticals, pesticides, natural toxins, high production volume substances covered under the European REACH regulation (EC: 1272/2008), priority contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and regulatory lists from NORMAN partners. Several lists focus on transformation products (TPs) and complex features detected in the environment with various levels of provenance and structural information. Each list is available for separate download. The merged, curated collection is also available as the NORMAN Substance Database (NORMAN SusDat). Both the NORMAN-SLE and NORMAN SusDat are integrated within the NORMAN Database System (NDS). The individual NORMAN-SLE lists receive digital object identifiers (DOIs) and traceable versioning via a Zenodo community (https://zenodo.org/communities/norman-sle), with a total of > 40,000 unique views, > 50,000 unique downloads and 40 citations (May 2022). NORMAN-SLE content is progressively integrated into large open chemical databases such as PubChem (https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and the US EPA's CompTox Chemicals Dashboard (https://comptox.epa.gov/dashboard/), enabling further access to these lists, along with the additional functionality and calculated properties these resources offer. PubChem has also integrated significant annotation content from the NORMAN-SLE, including a classification browser (https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/classification/#hid=101). Conclusions The NORMAN-SLE offers a specialized service for hosting suspect screening lists of relevance for the environmental community in an open, FAIR manner that allows integration with other major chemical resources. These efforts foster the exchange of information between scientists and regulators, supporting the paradigm shift to the "one substance, one assessment" approach. New submissions are welcome via the contacts provided on the NORMAN-SLE website (https://www.norman-network.com/nds/SLE/). Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12302-022-00680-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiba Mohammed Taha
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 6 Avenue du Swing, 4367 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Reza Aalizadeh
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Nikiforos Alygizakis
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
- Environmental Institute, Okružná 784/42, 972 41 Koš, Slovak Republic
| | | | - Hans Peter H. Arp
- Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), Ullevål Stadion, P.O. Box 3930, 0806 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Richard Bade
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102 Australia
| | | | - Lidia Belova
- Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Lubertus Bijlsma
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castelló, Spain
| | - Evan E. Bolton
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894 USA
| | - Werner Brack
- UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
| | - Alberto Celma
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castelló, Spain
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Wen-Ling Chen
- Institute of Food Safety and Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, 17 Xuzhou Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tiejun Cheng
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894 USA
| | - Parviel Chirsir
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 6 Avenue du Swing, 4367 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Ľuboš Čirka
- Environmental Institute, Okružná 784/42, 972 41 Koš, Slovak Republic
- Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Institute of Information Engineering, Automation, and Mathematics, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (STU), Radlinského 9, 812 37 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Lisa A. D’Agostino
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Valeria Dulio
- INERIS, National Institute for Environment and Industrial Risks, Verneuil en Halatte, France
| | - Stellan Fischer
- Swedish Chemicals Agency (KEMI), P.O. Box 2, 172 13 Sundbyberg, Sweden
| | - Pablo Gago-Ferrero
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research-Severo Ochoa Excellence Center (IDAEA), Spanish Council of Scientific Research (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Aikaterini Galani
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Birgit Geueke
- Food Packaging Forum Foundation, Staffelstrasse 10, 8045 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Natalia Głowacka
- Environmental Institute, Okružná 784/42, 972 41 Koš, Slovak Republic
| | - Juliane Glüge
- Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ksenia Groh
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Sylvia Grosse
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, Dornierstrasse 4, 82110 Germering, Germany
| | - Peter Haglund
- Department of Chemistry, Chemical Biological Centre (KBC), Umeå University, Linnaeus Väg 6, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Pertti J. Hakkinen
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894 USA
| | - Sarah E. Hale
- Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), Ullevål Stadion, P.O. Box 3930, 0806 Oslo, Norway
| | - Felix Hernandez
- Environmental and Public Health Analytical Chemistry, Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castelló, Spain
| | - Elisabeth M.-L. Janssen
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Tim Jonkers
- Department Environment and Health, Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Karin Kiefer
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Michal Kirchner
- Water Research Institute (WRI), Nábr. Arm. Gen. L. Svobodu 5, 81249 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Jan Koschorreck
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Wörlitzer Platz 1, Dessau-Roßlau, Germany
| | - Martin Krauss
- UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jessy Krier
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 6 Avenue du Swing, 4367 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Marja H. Lamoree
- Department Environment and Health, Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marion Letzel
- Bavarian Environment Agency, 86179 Augsburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Letzel
- Analytisches Forschungsinstitut Für Non-Target Screening GmbH (AFIN-TS), Am Mittleren Moos 48, 86167 Augsburg, Germany
| | - Qingliang Li
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894 USA
| | - James Little
- Mass Spec Interpretation Services, 3612 Hemlock Park Drive, Kingsport, TN 37663 USA
| | - Yanna Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SKLECE, RCEES, CAS), No. 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100086 China
| | - David M. Lunderberg
- Hope College, Holland, MI 49422 USA
- University of California, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Jonathan W. Martin
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrew D. McEachran
- Agilent Technologies, Inc., 5301 Stevens Creek Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95051 USA
| | - John A. McLean
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Innovative Technology, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235 USA
| | - Christiane Meier
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Wörlitzer Platz 1, Dessau-Roßlau, Germany
| | - Jeroen Meijer
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Frank Menger
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Carla Merino
- University Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
- Biosfer Teslab, Reus, Spain
| | - Jane Muncke
- Food Packaging Forum Foundation, Staffelstrasse 10, 8045 Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Michael Neumann
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Wörlitzer Platz 1, Dessau-Roßlau, Germany
| | - Vanessa Neveu
- Nutrition and Metabolism Branch, International Agency for Research On Cancer (IARC), 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France
| | - Kelsey Ng
- Environmental Institute, Okružná 784/42, 972 41 Koš, Slovak Republic
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Herbert Oberacher
- Institute of Legal Medicine and Core Facility Metabolomics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Muellerstrasse 44, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Jake O’Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102 Australia
| | - Peter Oswald
- Environmental Institute, Okružná 784/42, 972 41 Koš, Slovak Republic
| | - Martina Oswaldova
- Environmental Institute, Okružná 784/42, 972 41 Koš, Slovak Republic
| | - Jaqueline A. Picache
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Innovative Technology, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235 USA
| | - Cristina Postigo
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden
- Technologies for Water Management and Treatment Research Group, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva S/N, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Noelia Ramirez
- University Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
- Institute of Health Research Pere Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
| | | | - Justin Renaud
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada/Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada, 1391 Sandford Street, London, ON N5V 4T3 Canada
| | | | - Heinz Rüdel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (Fraunhofer IME), Schmallenberg, Germany
| | - Reza M. Salek
- Nutrition and Metabolism Branch, International Agency for Research On Cancer (IARC), 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France
| | - Saer Samanipour
- Van’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94157, Amsterdam, 1090 GD The Netherlands
| | - Martin Scheringer
- Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ivo Schliebner
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Wörlitzer Platz 1, Dessau-Roßlau, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Schulz
- Laboratory for Operation Control and Research, Zweckverband Landeswasserversorgung, Am Spitzigen Berg 1, 89129 Langenau, Germany
| | - Tobias Schulze
- UFZ, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Manfred Sengl
- Bavarian Environment Agency, 86179 Augsburg, Germany
| | - Benjamin A. Shoemaker
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894 USA
| | - Kerry Sims
- Environment Agency, Horizon House, Deanery Road, Bristol, BS1 5AH UK
| | - Heinz Singer
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Randolph R. Singh
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 6 Avenue du Swing, 4367 Belvaux, Luxembourg
- Chemical Contamination of Marine Ecosystems (CCEM) Unit, Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), Rue de l’Ile d’Yeu, BP 21105, 44311 Cedex 3, Nantes France
| | - Mark Sumarah
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada/Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada, 1391 Sandford Street, London, ON N5V 4T3 Canada
| | - Paul A. Thiessen
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894 USA
| | - Kevin V. Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102 Australia
| | | | - Xenia Trier
- Section for Environmental Chemistry and Physics, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Annemarie P. van Wezel
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Roel C. H. Vermeulen
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jelle J. Vlaanderen
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Zhanyun Wang
- Technology and Society Laboratory, Empa-Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Antony J. Williams
- Computational Chemistry and Cheminformatics Branch (CCCB), Chemical Characterization and Exposure Division (CCED), Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure (CCTE), United States Environmental Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 USA
| | - Egon L. Willighagen
- Department of Bioinformatics-BiGCaT, NUTRIM, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Jian Zhang
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894 USA
| | - Nikolaos S. Thomaidis
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Juliane Hollender
- Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | | | - Emma L. Schymanski
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 6 Avenue du Swing, 4367 Belvaux, Luxembourg
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Gao J, Burgard DA, Tscharke BJ, Lai FY, O'Brien JW, Nguyen HD, Zheng Q, Li J, Du P, Li X, Wang D, Castiglioni S, Cruz-Cruz C, Baz-Lomba JA, Yargeau V, Emke E, Thomas KV, Mueller JF, Thai PK. Refining the estimation of amphetamine consumption by wastewater-based epidemiology. Water Res 2022; 225:119182. [PMID: 36215836 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Consumption of amphetamine and methamphetamine, two common illicit drugs, has been monitored by wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) in many countries over the past decade. There is potential for the estimated amount of amphetamine used to be skewed at locations where methamphetamine is also consumed, because amphetamine is also excreted to wastewater following methamphetamine consumption. The present study aims to review the available data in the literature to identify an average ratio of amphetamine/methamphetamine (AMP/METH) that is excreted to wastewater after methamphetamine consumption. This ratio could then be used to refine the estimation of amphetamine consumption in catchments where there is both amphetamine and methamphetamine use. Using data from more than 6000 wastewater samples from Australia where methamphetamine is the dominant illicit amphetamine-type substance on the market, we were able to subtract the contribution of legal sources of amphetamine contribution and obtain the median AMP/METH ratio in wastewater of 0.09. Using this value, the amphetamine derived from methamphetamine consumption can be calculated and subtracted from the total amphetamine mass loads in wastewater samples. Without considering the contribution of amphetamine from methamphetamine use, selected European catchments with comparable consumption of amphetamine and methamphetamine showed up to 83% overestimation of amphetamine use. For catchments with AMP/METH ratio greater than 1.00, the impact of amphetamine from methamphetamine would be negligible; for catchments with AMP/METH ratio in the range of 0.04-0.19, it will be difficult to accurately estimate amphetamine consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianfa Gao
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, 1066 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Daniel A Burgard
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma Washington, 98416, United States.
| | - Benjamin J Tscharke
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Foon Yin Lai
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 7050, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jake W O'Brien
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Hien D Nguyen
- School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Qiuda Zheng
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Jiaying Li
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Peng Du
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Urban Hydrological Cycle and Sponge City Technology, College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xiqing Li
- Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, China
| | - Degao Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, 1 Linghai Road, Dalian, Liaoning 116023, China
| | - Sara Castiglioni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Copytzy Cruz-Cruz
- Centro de Investigación en Salud Poblacional, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública. Cuernavaca, Mexico; Servicios de Atención Psiquiatrica. Secretaría de Salud, Mexico
| | | | - Viviane Yargeau
- Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, 3610, University St., Montreal, H3A 0C5, QC, Canada
| | - Erik Emke
- KWR Watercycle Research Institute, Chemical Water Quality and Health, P.O. Box 1072, 3430 BB Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Phong K Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Brisbane, Australia
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Tan X, Dewapriya P, Prasad P, Chang Y, Huang X, Wang Y, Gong X, Hopkins TE, Fu C, Thomas KV, Peng H, Whittaker AK, Zhang C. Efficient Removal of Perfluorinated Chemicals from Contaminated Water Sources Using Magnetic Fluorinated Polymer Sorbents. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202213071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Tan
- The University of Queensland AIBN AUSTRALIA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Hui Peng
- The University of Queensland AIBN AUSTRALIA
| | - Andrew Keith Whittaker
- University of Queensland Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and Centre for Magnetic Resonance Cooper RoadSt Lucia 4072 Brisbane AUSTRALIA
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Okoffo ED, Chan CM, Rauert C, Kaserzon S, Thomas KV. Identification and Quantification of Micro-Bioplastics in Environmental Samples by Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. Environ Sci Technol 2022; 56:13774-13785. [PMID: 36128767 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c04091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Bioplastics are materials that are biobased and/or biodegradable, but not necessarily both. Concerns about environmental plastic pollution are constantly growing with increasing demand for substituting fossil-based plastics with those made using renewable resource feedstocks. For many conventional bioplastics to completely decompose/degrade, they require specific environmental conditions that are rarely met in natural ecosystems, leading to rapid formation of micro-bioplastics. As global bioplastic production and consumption/use continue to increase, there is growing concern regarding the potential for environmental pollution from micro-bioplastics. However, the actual extent of their environmental occurrence and potential impacts remains unclear, and there is insufficient mass concentration-based quantitative data due to the lack of quantitative analytical methods. This study developed and validated an analytical method coupling pressurized liquid extraction and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry combined with thermochemolysis to simultaneously identify and quantify five targeted micro-bioplastics (i.e., polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoate, polybutylene succinate, polycaprolactone, and polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT)) in environmental samples on a polymer-specific mass-based concentration. The recovery of spiked micro-bioplastics in environmental samples (biosolids) ranged from 74 to 116%. The limits of quantification for the target micro-bioplastics were between 0.02 and 0.05 mg/g. PLA and PBAT were commonly detected in wastewater, biosolids, and sediment samples at concentrations between 0.07 and 0.18 mg/g. The presented analytical method enables the accurate identification, quantification, and monitoring of micro-bioplastics in environmental samples. This study quantified five micro-bioplastic types in complex environmental samples for the first time, filling in gaps in our knowledge about bioplastic pollution and providing a useful methodology and important reference data for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvis D Okoffo
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Clement Matthew Chan
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Cassandra Rauert
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Sarit Kaserzon
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
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Li D, Zheng Q, Wang Z, Ren Y, Thomas KV, Thai PK. Young population consume twice as much artificial sweetener than the general population - A wastewater-based assessment in China. Sci Total Environ 2022; 839:156200. [PMID: 35618133 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Understanding artificial sweetener consumption patterns and levels in different demographics is important for formulating public health policies on controlling sugar consumption. There is a considerable knowledge gap with respect to the pattern of artificial sweetener consumption in China. To narrow this gap, wastewater analysis was used to assess the temporal patterns of consumption of seven artificial sweeteners in an urban population and a university town in a megacity in South China over a one-year period. Daily influent wastewater samples were collected from an urban catchment and weekly samples collected from a university sub-catchment. Population normalized per capita consumption of the four detected artificial sweeteners (cyclamate, acesulfame, sucralose and saccharin) in the university catchment (1.0-5.9 mg d-1 p-1) was much higher than those in urban catchment (0.5-1.3 mg d-1 p-1), indicating younger population consume more artificial sweeteners than the general population. The daily consumption of artificial sweeteners was found to be stable throughout the week in the urban catchment. Time-series analysis showed that an average increase in temperature of 1 °C was associated with an increase consumption of 33 μg d-1 p-1 for acesulfame, 15 μg d-1 p-1 for sucralose and 14 μg d-1 p-1 for saccharin. This was the first study that objectively quantified the greater consumption of artificial sweeteners (proxy for consumption of artificially sweetened food and beverages) in a younger age group when compared to the general population, which could potentially pose a risk of health related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dandan Li
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Food Chain Pollution Control, School of Ecology and Environment, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China.
| | - Qiuda Zheng
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Queensland, Australia
| | - Zhe Wang
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Queensland, Australia
| | - Yuan Ren
- The Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Queensland, Australia
| | - Phong K Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, 4102, Queensland, Australia
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He C, van Mourik L, Brandsma S, Thai P, Wang X, Chen S, Thomas KV, Mueller JF. Semiquantitative Characterization of Bromo-chloro Paraffins and Olefins in the Australian Environment. Environ Sci Technol 2022; 56:12452-12459. [PMID: 35976999 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c03576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
A semiquantitative high-resolution mass spectrometry method was developed and applied to assess the occurrence of bromo-/chloro paraffins (BCPs) and olefins (BCOs) in the environment. More than 400 possible BCPs and BCO congener groups were detected in dust, air, and sewage sludge samples collected from Australia. Median chain analytes with the number of halogen atoms <7 (CnHmClxBry, 14 ≤ n ≤ 17, x + y < 7) prevailed in the dust and sludge samples, while short chain analytes (CnHmClxBry, 10 ≤ n ≤ 13, x + y < 7) predominated the air samples. The estimated concentrations of ∑BCPs and ∑BCOs in dust and sludge were approximately 20% that of the chlorinated paraffins (CPs) present, with the median concentrations of 5.4 μg/g (dust) and 0.18 μg/g (sludge) for ∑BCPs and 22 μg/g (in dust) and 0.50 μg/g (sludge) for BCOs. In the air samples, the concentrations of BCPs (0.020 pg/m3) and BCOs (0.032 pg/m3) were 3-4 orders of magnitudes lower than the concentrations of CPs (790 pg/m3). Significant correlations (P < 0.001) were found between the concentration of CPs, BCPs, and BCOs in all the matrices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang He
- QAEHS, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4102, Australia
| | - Louise van Mourik
- Department of Environment and Health, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1087, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Sicco Brandsma
- Department of Environment and Health, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1087, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Phong Thai
- QAEHS, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4102, Australia
| | - Xianyu Wang
- QAEHS, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4102, Australia
| | - Shuo Chen
- QAEHS, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4102, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- QAEHS, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4102, Australia
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- QAEHS, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4102, Australia
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Shimko KM, O’Brien JW, Tscharke BJ, Brooker L, Goebel C, Shiels R, Speers N, Mueller JF, Thomas KV. Prevalence and emergence of steroidal and non-steroidal anabolic agents in the Australian community measured through wastewater analysis. Toxicologie Analytique et Clinique 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxac.2022.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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