Risk-based screening for prioritisation of organic micropollutants in Swedish freshwater
2022 (English)In: Journal of Hazardous Materials, ISSN 0304-3894, E-ISSN 1873-3336, Vol. 429, article id 128302Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Concerns about environmental contamination by organic micropollutants (OMPs) are increasing, due to their potential bioaccumulative and toxic properties. This study evaluated the risk posed by OMPs to aquatic eco- systems in Swedish freshwaters. The assessment was based on measured environmental concentrations (MEC) of OMPs in surface waters upstream and downstream of Swedish wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). A novel optimised risk quotient (RQf) was used to identify potential high-risk substances in the aquatic environment. A secondary objective was to assess the impact of WWTP effluent on aquatic ecosystems using a novel impact factor (I) based on the risk quotient (RQ). Among the 126 substances investigated, four compounds (metformin, N,N- dimethyltetradecylamine, oxazepam, and venlafaxine) were identified as likely to pose a risk to aquatic eco- systems in Swedish surface waters (RQf>1), and five compounds (clindamycin, gemfibrozil, sertraline, o-des- methylvenlafaxine, and diclofenac) were identified as posing a moderate risk to aquatic ecosystems ( 0.1 <RQf<1). WWTP effluent appeared to pose an environmental risk for all recipient sites, but the impact of calculated RQ was site-specific. These results can be used by authorities to prioritise OMPs and contaminated hotspots, in order to decrease negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems.
Synopsis: A novel optimised risk assessment approach for identification of high-concern organic micropollutants in aquatic environments.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2022. Vol. 429, article id 128302
Keywords [en]
Aquatic environment, Ecotoxicology, Environmental monitoring, Pharmaceuticals, Risk assessment
National Category
Environmental Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-46496DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128302ISI: 000752578700007PubMedID: 35121296Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85123866890OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hh-46496DiVA, id: diva2:1646046
Funder
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, NV-09085-20
Note
Funding: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (NV-09085-20) and Rydberg Laboratory for Applied Sciences at Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden.
2022-03-212022-03-212022-07-06Bibliographically approved