Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London, UK.
MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Environmental Research Group, Imperial College London, 86 Wood Lane, W12 0BZ London, UK.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Dec 10;955:176686. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176686. Epub 2024 Oct 2.
Widespread occurrence of two ectoparasiticide compounds in the aquatic environment, imidacloprid and fipronil, have prompted concerns about their potential environmental impacts. However, very little focus has been placed on water bodies in urban green spaces used for dog swimming. In this study, occurrence of both substances on Hampstead Heath, London, was compared in ponds with (n = 3) and without dog swimming activity (n = 3), as well as connecting streams above, between, and below these ponds (n = 6). Imidacloprid and fipronil were detected at main swimming points in dog swimming ponds at mean concentrations of 309 ± 104 ng/L and 32 ± 13 ng/L, respectively, indicating a high environmental risk in these samples. Measured concentrations in ponds not accessible for dog swimming were either below the limits of detection or limits of quantification for both chemicals. Across all ponds, there was a strong positive correlation between measured dog swimming activities and concentrations of imidacloprid (R = 0.91) and fipronil (R = 0.79). Some contamination was detected in connecting streams between ponds. A wider chemical analysis for the presence of urban waste water chemical residue signatures indicated minimal contamination, including in source waters. A survey of visitors who allow their dogs to swim in the sampled ponds confirmed frequent use of products containing imidacloprid and fipronil. In total, 86 % of 101 dog owners were unaware of the potential environmental impacts of products, and 94 % indicated that protecting nature would be an important consideration when selecting products. Besides the current practice of limiting dog access to ponds, information collected on product use and dog swimming practices identified additional opportunities to reduce contamination. We suggest that more cooperation between industry, regulators, veterinarians, green space managers, and the public can reduce risks to urban biodiversity while maintaining recreational benefits for dog owners and dogs.
广泛存在于水生环境中的两种杀虫剂化合物——吡虫啉和氟虫腈，引起了人们对其潜在环境影响的关注。然而，对于用于狗游泳的城市绿地水体，人们关注甚少。在这项研究中，比较了伦敦汉普斯特德希思的池塘（有狗游泳活动的 n = 3，无狗游泳活动的 n = 3）、池塘以上、池塘之间和池塘以下的溪流（n = 6）中这两种物质的存在情况。在狗游泳池塘的主要游泳点检测到吡虫啉和氟虫腈，浓度分别为 309 ± 104 ng/L 和 32 ± 13 ng/L，表明这些样本存在高环境风险。无法让狗游泳的池塘中的测量浓度，两种化学物质均低于检测限或定量限。在所有池塘中，狗游泳活动与吡虫啉（R = 0.91）和氟虫腈（R = 0.79）浓度之间存在强烈的正相关关系。在池塘之间的连接溪流中检测到一些污染。对城市废水化学残留特征进行了更广泛的化学分析，结果表明污染程度较低，包括水源。对在采样池塘中允许狗游泳的游客进行了一项调查，证实了经常使用含有吡虫啉和氟虫腈的产品。在总共 101 名狗主人中，86%的人不知道产品的潜在环境影响，94%的人表示，在选择产品时，保护自然将是一个重要的考虑因素。除了目前限制狗进入池塘的做法外，收集到的关于产品使用和狗游泳行为的信息，确定了减少污染的额外机会。我们建议，工业界、监管机构、兽医、绿地管理者和公众之间加强合作，在维护狗主人和狗的娱乐效益的同时，可以降低对城市生物多样性的风险。
