Uhlhorn Jasmin, Ng Keng Tiong, Barron Leon P, Ford Alex T, Miller Thomas H
Centre for Pollution Research & Policy, Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge UB8 3PH, UK.
MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Environmental Research Group, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, 86 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UK.
Environ Int. 2025 May;199:109417. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2025.109417. Epub 2025 Apr 7.
Few studies exist that focus on contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in transitional and coastal waterbodies. This study presents chemical profiling of two protected marine harbours on the South coast of the UK sampled in 2022. Across 21 sites, 105 unique compounds were detected (0.05 ng L --1798 ng L, median: 11 ng L) in water samples and biota, including 67 pharmaceuticals, 29 pesticides and nine recreational drugs. There were significant differences between campaigns with increased chemical numbers and concentrations that coincided with increased rainfall and combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges. The comparison with CSO discharges revealed that they were an important source for loading of specific chemicals with concentrations increasing for some cases by three-orders of magnitude. High relative risks were estimated for sites sampled during recorded CSO discharges for five compounds with risk quotients (RQs) ranging from 1.1 up to 9.3, with the highest risk from the neonicotinoid, imidacloprid. To understand the exposure in biota, six species; one macroalgae (Fucus vesiculosus) and five fauna (Hediste diversicolor, Patella vulgate, Crassostrea gigas, Carcinus maenas, Echinogammarus marinus) were analysed (n = 5/species) at a CSO-impacted site. Between eight to 18 compounds were detected with Fucus vesiculosus (seaweed) showing the highest accumulation with mean cumulative burdens reaching up to 343 ± 71 ng g. Surface water contamination did not correlate with body burdens. Overall, the work highlights the complexity of the chemical space present in a transitional waterbody showing dynamic contamination patterns that are further influenced by tide, rainfall and salinity. CSOs demonstrated an important but compound specific role for CEC input and pulsing into receiving waters.
很少有研究关注过渡水体和沿海水体中新兴关注污染物（CECs）。本研究展示了2022年在英国南海岸两个受保护的海港进行采样的化学特征分析。在21个采样点的水样和生物群中检测到了105种独特的化合物（浓度范围为0.05纳克/升至1798纳克/升，中位数为11纳克/升），包括67种药物、29种农药和9种消遣性毒品。不同采样时段之间存在显著差异，化学物质数量和浓度增加，这与降雨量增加和合流制下水道溢流（CSO）排放增多相吻合。与CSO排放的比较表明，它们是特定化学物质负荷的重要来源，在某些情况下，浓度增加了三个数量级。对于记录到CSO排放期间采样的站点，估计有五种化合物的相对风险较高，风险商（RQs）范围从1.1到9.3，其中新烟碱类杀虫剂吡虫啉的风险最高。为了解生物群中的暴露情况，在一个受CSO影响的站点分析了六个物种，一种大型藻类（墨角藻）和五种动物（多毛纲小头虫、石鳖、太平洋牡蛎、绿青蟹、海生刺钩虾）（每个物种n = 5）。在墨角藻（海藻）中检测到8至18种化合物，其积累量最高，平均累积负荷达到343±71纳克/克。地表水污染与生物体内负荷没有相关性。总体而言，这项工作突出了过渡水体中化学物质空间的复杂性，显示出动态污染模式，而这种模式还受到潮汐、降雨和盐度的进一步影响。CSO对CECs输入和排入受纳水体起到了重要但因化合物而异的作用。
