Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Petroleum and Coal, RWTH Aachen University, Lochnerstraße 4-20, 52056 Aachen, Germany.
Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT), Fahrenheitstraße. 6, 28359 Bremen, Germany.
Sci Total Environ. 2014 Jul 1;485-486:348-362. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.03.034. Epub 2014 Apr 14.
The Cochin Backwaters in India are part of the Vembanad-Kol system, which is a protected wetland and one of the largest estuarine ecosystems in South Asia. The backwaters are a major supplier of fisheries resources and are developed as tourist destination. Periyar River discharges into the northern arm of the system and receives effluents from chemical, petrochemical and metal processing industries which release huge amounts of wastewaters after little treatment. We investigated water and sediment contamination in the industrial vicinity and at one station further away including organic and inorganic contaminants. In total 83 organic contaminants were found, e.g. well known priority pollutants such as endosulfan, hexachlorobenzene, DDT, hexachlorocyclohexane and their metabolites, which likely stem from the industrial manufacturing of organochlorine pesticides. Furthermore, several benzothiazole, dibenzylamine and dicyclohexylamine derivatives were detected, which indicated inputs from rubber producing facilities. Several of these compounds have not been reported as environmental contaminants so far. A comparison of organic contaminant and trace hazardous element concentrations in sediments with reported sediment quality guidelines revealed that adverse effects on benthic species are likely at all stations. The chemical assessment was combined with an investigation of macrobenthic diversity and community composition. Benthic organisms were completely lacking at the site with the highest trace hazardous element concentrations. Highest species numbers, diversity indices and abundances were recorded at the station with the greatest distance to the industrial area. Filter feeders were nearly completely lacking, probably leading to an impairment of the filter function in this area. This study shows that a combination of chemical and biological methods is an innovative approach to achieve a comprehensive characterization of industrial contamination, to evaluate associated risks for bottom dwelling consumers regarding sediment quality guidelines, and to observe related adverse effects on the benthic community directly in the field.
印度的科钦泻湖是 Vembanad-Kol 系统的一部分，该系统是一个受保护的湿地，也是南亚最大的河口生态系统之一。泻湖是渔业资源的主要供应地，也是旅游目的地。佩里亚尔河注入该系统的北汊，接纳来自化工、石化和金属加工业的废水，这些工业在很少处理的情况下排放大量废水。我们调查了工业附近和一个更远的站的水和沉积物污染，包括有机和无机污染物。总共发现了 83 种有机污染物，例如众所周知的优先污染物，如硫丹、六氯苯、滴滴涕、六氯环己烷及其代谢物，这些污染物可能来自有机氯农药的工业制造。此外，还检测到了几种苯并噻唑、二苄基胺和二环己基胺衍生物，表明这些化合物来自橡胶生产设施。到目前为止，这些化合物中有几种尚未被报道为环境污染物。沉积物中有机污染物和痕量有害元素浓度与报告的沉积物质量指南的比较表明，所有站点的底栖物种都可能受到不利影响。化学评估与大型底栖生物多样性和群落组成的调查相结合。在痕量有害元素浓度最高的站点，底栖生物完全缺失。在离工业区最远的站点，记录到最高的物种数量、多样性指数和丰度。滤食动物几乎完全缺失，这可能导致该地区滤食功能受损。本研究表明，化学和生物方法的结合是一种创新方法，可以全面描述工业污染，评估与沉积物质量指南相关的底栖消费者的相关风险，并直接在现场观察底栖群落的相关不利影响。
