Complex effects of pollution on fish in major rivers in the Czech Republic

Monitoring the contamination level in aquatic environments and assessing the impact on aquatic life occurs throughout the world. In the present study, an approach based on a combination of biomarkers and the distribution of various industrial and municipal pollutants was used to investigate the effect of aquatic environmental contamination on fish. Monitoring was performed in ten rivers in the Czech Republic (Berounka, Dyje, Elbe, Lužnice, Odra, Ohře, Otava, Sázava, Svratka, and Vltava rivers, with one or two locations in each river) at the same sites that were regularly monitored within the Czech National Monitoring Program in 2007-2011. Health status, hepatic ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, total cytochrome P450 content, and the plasma vitellogenin concentration were assessed in wild chub (Squalius cephalus) males caught at the monitored sites. The contamination level was the highest in the Svratka River downstream of Brno. Among all measured persistent organic pollutants (POPs), polychlorinated biphenyls and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites were the major contributors of POPs in fish muscle. Elbe, Odra, and Svratka rivers were identified as the most polluted. Fish from these locations showed reduced gonad size, increased vitellogenin concentration in male plasma, EROD, and total cytochrome P450 content. These biomarkers can be used for future environmental monitoring assessments. Overall, this study improves our understanding of the relationship between human activities and pollutant loads and further contributes to the decision to support local watershed managers to protect water quality in this region.

Comparison of passive sampling and biota for monitoring of tonalide in aquatic environment

Synthetic musk compounds are extensively used in personal care and cosmetic products all over the world. Afterwards, they are discharged into the environment mainly because they are not completely removed in wastewater treatment plants. The aim of this study was to investigate if a passive sampler is applicable for the monitoring of tonalide, a polycyclic musk compound, in the aquatic environment and to compare the levels of tonalide in pesticide-polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS) and biota. For this purpose, four sampling localities on the three biggest rivers in the Czech Republic were selected. Tonalide was determined in POCIS at all sampling sites in the concentration ranging from 9 ng/POCIS (Labe River, Hradec Králové) to 25 ng/POCIS (Morava River, Blatec). The locality with the most frequent occurrence of tonalide in biota samples was the Morava River which well corresponded with the highest tonalide concentration in POCIS among sampling sites. The highest number of positive tonalide detections among all studied biota samples was found in fish plasma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first evidence that tonalide bioaccumulates in fish blood. Tonalide levels were below the limit of quantification in benthos samples at all sampling sites.

Screening of benzodiazepines in thirty European rivers

Pharmaceuticals as environmental contaminants have received a lot of interest over the past decade but, for several pharmaceuticals, relatively little is known about their occurrence in European surface waters. Benzodiazepines, a class of pharmaceuticals with anxiolytic properties, have received interest due to their behavioral modifying effect on exposed biota. In this study, our results show the presence of one or more benzodiazepine(s) in 86% of the analyzed surface water samples (n = 138) from 30 rivers, representing seven larger European catchments. Of the 13 benzodiazepines included in the study, we detected 9, which together showed median and mean concentrations (of the results above limit of quantification) of 5.4 and 9.6 ng L^-1, respectively. Four benzodiazepines (oxazepam, temazepam, clobazam, and bromazepam) were the most commonly detected. In particular, oxazepam had the highest frequency of detection (85%) and a maximum concentration of 61 ng L^-1. Temazepam and clobazam were found in 26% (maximum concentration of 39 ng L^-1) and 14% (maximum concentration of 11 ng L^-1) of the samples analyzed, respectively. Finally, bromazepam was found only in Germany and in 16 out of total 138 samples (12%), with a maximum concentration of 320 ng L^-1. This study clearly shows that benzodiazepines are common micro-contaminants of the largest European river systems at ng L^-1 levels. Although these concentrations are more than a magnitude lower than those reported to have effective effects on exposed biota, environmental effects cannot be excluded considering the possibility of additive and sub-lethal effects.

Perfluoroalkyl substances in aquatic environment-comparison of fish and passive sampling approaches

The concentrations of seven perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were investigated in 36 European chub (Squalius cephalus) individuals from six localities in the Czech Republic. Chub muscle and liver tissue were analysed at all sampling sites. In addition, analyses of 16 target PFASs were performed in Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Samplers (POCISs) deployed in the water at the same sampling sites. We evaluated the possibility of using passive samplers as a standardized method for monitoring PFAS contamination in aquatic environments and the mutual relationships between determined concentrations. Only perfluorooctane sulphonate was above the LOQ in fish muscle samples and 52% of the analysed fish individuals exceeded the Environmental Quality Standard for water biota. Fish muscle concentration is also particularly important for risk assessment of fish consumers. The comparison of fish tissue results with published data showed the similarity of the Czech results with those found in Germany and France. However, fish liver analysis and the passive sampling approach resulted in different fish exposure scenarios. The total concentration of PFASs in fish liver tissue was strongly correlated with POCIS data, but pollutant patterns differed between these two matrices. The differences could be attributed to the metabolic activity of the living organism. In addition to providing a different view regarding the real PFAS cocktail to which the fish are exposed, POCISs fulfil the Three Rs strategy (replacement, reduction, and refinement) in animal testing.

A passive sampling method for detecting analgesics, psycholeptics, antidepressants and illicit drugs in aquatic environments in the Czech Republic

The goal of this study was to assess the bioavailable concentrations of analgesics, psycholeptics, antidepressants and illicit drugs in the surface waters of the Czech Republic. All of the sampling sites are located within the most important water quality monitoring profiles at the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. The total concentrations of the compounds ranged from 463 to 6,447 ng POCIS(-1) (Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler). Carbamazepine (196-2,690 ng POCIS(-1)) and tramadol (160-2,250 ng POCIS(-1)) were the most abundant compounds at every site. The most polluted sites were those that received communal wastewater effluent and had a low dilution factor (ratio of wastewater effluent and river flow). The aqueous concentrations of the target compounds were estimated using sampling rate values obtained during a field calibration experiment. Patterns in the aqueous concentrations of the compounds (after back calculation from POCIS extracts) and the POCIS concentrations are different, possibly leading to discrepancies between the toxicity assessments conducted using POCIS extracts and those conducted using grab samples of water from the same location.

A passive sampling method for detecting analgesics, psycholeptics, antidepressants and illicit drugs in aquatic environments in the Czech Republic

The goal of this study was to assess the bioavailable concentrations of analgesics, psycholeptics, antidepressants and illicit drugs in the surface waters of the Czech Republic. All of the sampling sites are located within the most important water quality monitoring profiles at the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. The total concentrations of the compounds ranged from 463 to 6,447 ng POCIS(-1) (Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler). Carbamazepine (196-2,690 ng POCIS(-1)) and tramadol (160-2,250 ng POCIS(-1)) were the most abundant compounds at every site. The most polluted sites were those that received communal wastewater effluent and had a low dilution factor (ratio of wastewater effluent and river flow). The aqueous concentrations of the target compounds were estimated using sampling rate values obtained during a field calibration experiment. Patterns in the aqueous concentrations of the compounds (after back calculation from POCIS extracts) and the POCIS concentrations are different, possibly leading to discrepancies between the toxicity assessments conducted using POCIS extracts and those conducted using grab samples of water from the same location.

Study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination of major rivers in the Czech Republic using biliary metabolite in chub, Leuciscus cephalus L

The aim of the present study was to evaluate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination of the major rivers in the Czech Republic using 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) content in chub bile as a biomarker. The highest concentration of 1-OHP was found in the Otava River at Topělec (80.5 ng mg protein(-1)); the lowest content of 1-OHP was found in the Vltava at Zelčín (9.6 ng mg protein(-1)). At all sites, bottom sediment samples were collected and analyzed for PAH content. The PAH content ranged between 1.2 and 15.2 mg kg dry mass(-1) at all sites. Statistically significant positive correlations (p < 0.05) between biliary 1-OHP and sediment PAH content were found. Correlation coefficients for total and individual priority PAHs ranged from 0.63 to 0.77.

Passive sampling methods for monitoring endocrine disruptors in the Svratka and Svitava rivers in the Czech Republic

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) are manmade or natural chemicals that have the ability to interfere with the endocrine system of animals. They have not been monitored systematically in the Czech Republic. The goal of the present study was the characterization of aquatic environmental pollution from the Brno (Czech Republic) city agglomeration focusing on EDC. Passive sampling devices, as well as semipermeable membrane devices (SPMD) and polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS), were used for the pilot assessment of EDC. They were deployed for 21- to 28-d periods at nine locations in the Svratka and Svitava Rivers, Brno, Czech Republic, including at the inlet and outlet of Brno's wastewater treatment plant. The SPMDs were used to monitor nonpolar compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and organochlorinated pesticides (OCP). The POCIS were used to monitor polar compounds such as pesticides and their metabolites, perfluoro-organic compounds (PFOC), and pharmaceuticals. The passive samplers allowed very low detection limits for soluble (bioavailable) fractions of pollutants. The contribution of PAH, PCB, and HCB in sewage water to pollution of the Svratka River was low. The Brno wastewater treatment plant was identified as the main source of pharmaceuticals, triclosan, methyl triclosan, and some polar pesticides.