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Occurrence, Distribution and Ecological Risk of Contaminants in River

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 February 2020) | Viewed by 18244

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Prof. Dr. Paolo Montuori

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Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
Interests: persistent organic pollutants (POPs); toxic chemicals (pesticides, metabolites, polychlorinated biphenyls, PAHs, heavy metals); contaminants of emerging concern (CECs); environmental occurrence; water pollution; pollution sources; seasonal and spatial distribution; ecological risk assessment; exposure routes; health risk assessment.
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Dear Colleagues,

River pollution is one of the most serious problems and a major global environmental concern. Contaminants enter rivers through anthropogenic activities such as sewage sludge disposal, the application of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers, industrial activities and increasing urbanization. These contaminants are non-biodegradable in the environment, and all contaminants are potentially bio-available and consequentially toxic to the biota and human health. In the aquatic systems, potentially toxic contaminants are transported in dissolved or particulate form, where sediment and suspended particles play important roles in contaminant adsorption, desorption and dissolution, and sedimentation processes. Due to their high persistence, contaminants can accumulate and remain in the sediment for very long periods, becoming a source of contaminants for aquatic biota. Thus, the assessment of pollution in riverine and estuarine environments is determinant, as these areas could receive considerable amounts of pollutant inputs from land-based sources, which could potentially threaten the biological resources.

This Special Issue seeks research papers that not only survey the occurrence, distribution and ecological risk of contaminants in rivers, but also assess their persistence and attenuation from rivers to the marine environment. We especially encourage the submission of interdisciplinary work and multi-country collaborative research. We also encourage manuscripts that propose new models and statistical techniques to assess the origin of river pollution as well as unconventional approaches to assess the ecological risk. We welcome original research papers using different study designs as well as systematic reviews and comparative studies.

Prof. Dr. Paolo Montuori
Guest Editor

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Keywords

River
Environmental pollution
Ecological risk
Contaminant loads
Pollutants transport
Sediment
Water quality
Estuaries

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 1597 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Pollution in Mediterranean Sea from Volturno River, Southern Italy: Distribution, Risk Assessment and Loads

by Paolo Montuori, Elvira De Rosa, Fabiana Di Duca, Donatella Paola Provvisiero, Pasquale Sarnacchiaro, Antonio Nardone and Maria Triassi

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(4), 1383; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18041383 - 03 Feb 2021

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 2435

Abstract

This study reports the data on the contamination caused by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) drained from the Volturno River. The seasonal and spatial distribution of PAHs in water and sediment samples was assessed. The 16 PAHs were determined in the water dissolved phase (DP), suspended particulate matter (SPM), and sediments. A multidimensional statistical approach was used to identify three pollution composite indicators. Contaminant discharges of PAHs into the sea were calculated in about 3158.2 kg/year. Total concentrations of PAHs varied in ranges 434.8 to 872.1 ng g⁻¹ and 256.7 to 1686.3 ng L⁻¹ in sediment samples and in water (DP + SPM), respectively. The statistical results indicated that the PAHs mainly had a pyrolytic source. Considering the sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), the water environmental quality standards (USEPA EQS), and risk quotient (RQ), the Volturno River would be considered as an area in which the environmental integrity is possibly at risk. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Distribution and Ecological Risk of Contaminants in River)

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16 pages, 2767 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Concentrations, Possible Sources and Health Risk of Heavy Metals in Multi-Media Environment of the Songhua River, China

by Kunyang Li, Song Cui, Fuxiang Zhang, Rupert Hough, Qiang Fu, Zulin Zhang, Shang Gao and Lihui An

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(5), 1766; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051766 - 09 Mar 2020

Cited by 36 | Viewed by 3647

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution in the river environment has been a source of widespread interest due to potential threats to human health and ecosystem security. Many studies have looked at heavy metal pollution in the context of single source-pathway-receptor relationships, however few have sought to understand pollution from a more wholistic multi-media perspective. To investigate potential risks in a more wholistic way, concentrations of six heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb) were detected in multi-media (water, sediment and riparian soil) collected from 14 sampling sites in the main stream of the Songhua River. Chemical analyses indicated that the average concentration of heavy metals in water followed: Zn > Cr > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cd, with a different trend observed in sediments and riparian soil: Zn > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cu > Cd. The potential risk was evaluated using the heavy metal pollution index (HPI), Nemerow pollution index (P_N), hazard index (HI) and carcinogenic risk (CR) metrics. Results showed that all HPI values were lower than the critical level of 100 indicating that the levels of these targeted heavy metals were within drinking water safety limits. The P_N indicated that both sediment (2.64) and soil (2.95) could be considered “moderately polluted”, with Cd and Zn providing the most significant contributions. A human health risk assessment suggested that the non-carcinogenic risks were within acceptable levels (HI < 1), as was the cancer risk associated with dermal adsorption (CR <10⁻⁶). However, the CR associated with ingestion exposure (4.58 × 10⁻⁶) exceeded the cancer risk threshold (10⁻⁶) indicative of elevated cancer incidence in exposed populations. Health-risk estimates were primarily associated with Cd in the Songhua River. Source apportionment was informed by Pearson correlation analysis coupled with principal component analysis (PCA) which indicated that Cu was mainly derived from natural (geogenic) sources; Cr and Ni were associated with industrial emissions; Pb might be derived from agricultural and transportation sources; Zn might be from industrial, agricultural activities and transportation; while Cd is likely from industrial and agricultural emissions. The source apportionment information could provide the basis for a risk-management strategy focused on reducing Cd and Zn emissions to the riverine environment. Results from this study will provide the scientific knowledge that is needed for measuring and controlling heavy metals sources and pollution characteristics, and identifying the potential cancer risk with different exposure pathways, as well as making effective environmental management policies at catchment or regional scales. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Distribution and Ecological Risk of Contaminants in River)

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16 pages, 2701 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Distribution of Potential Harmful Trace Elements and Potential Ecological Risk in the Jiulongchi Wetland of Fanjing Mountain, Southwest China

by Weidan Shen, Kangning Xiong, Yang Gao, Mingying Quan, Haijun Peng, Ting Yang, Linfeng He and Kunshan Bao

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(5), 1731; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph17051731 - 06 Mar 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2372

Abstract

In order to understand the distribution and ecological risk of potential harmful trace elements (PHTEs) in the high altitude areas of the Fanjing Mountain World Natural Heritage Property, 30 surface samples including soil and plants were collected in April, 2019 in the Jiulongchi wetland which lies in the saddle between the New Jinding Peak of Fanjing Mountain and Fenghuang Peak. The contents of 23 major and trace elements were determined, and the pollution characteristics and potential ecological risk of 11 PHTEs (Mn, V, Zn, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, As, Cd, Sb and Pb) were discussed. The element contents showed significant differences in plant and soil samples. Enrichment factor and single-factor pollution index demonstrated that Mn, Zn, Co, As and Cd in the soil were in a clean state. The potential ecological risk index and pollution load index indicated an overall good ecological condition of Jiulongchi wetland, with a weak pollution degree. Comparisons of relevant studies showed the anthropogenic activities have considerable impacts on the pollution status of PHTEs with significant spatial differences in Fanjing Mountain. Multivariate statistical analysis proved that Pb and Sb were main pollutants of the soil in the Jiulongchi wetland, and the mining and smelting of minerals such as mercury, manganese and lead-zinc ore in the adjacent areas could be the main pollution sources through atmospheric deposition. This study could provide targeted strategies for the environmental protection and management of the Property and give scientific evidence for the pollution prevention in southwest China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Distribution and Ecological Risk of Contaminants in River)

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19 pages, 4973 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Geographical Patterns of Algal Communities Associated with Different Urban Lakes in China

by Shengnan Chen, Huiyan He, Rongrong Zong, Kaiwen Liu, Yutian Miao, Miaomiao Yan and Lei Xu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(3), 1009; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph17031009 - 05 Feb 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3016

Abstract

Urban lakes play an important role in drainage and water storage, regulating urban microclimate conditions, supplying groundwater, and meeting citizens’ recreational needs. However, geographical patterns of algal communities associated with urban lakes from a large scale are still unclear. In the present work, the geographical variation of algal communities and water quality parameters in different urban lakes in China were determined. The water quality parameters were examined in the samples collected from north, central, south, and coastal economic zones in China. The results suggested that significant differences in water quality were observed among different geographical distribution of urban lakes. The highest total phosphorus (TP)(0.21 mg/L) and total nitrogen (TN) (3.84 mg/L) concentrations were found in XinHaiHu (XHH) lake, it also showed highest the nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) (0.39 mg/L),total organic carbon(TOC) (9.77 mg/L), and COD _Mn (9.01 mg/L) concentrations among all samples. Environmental and geographic factors also cause large differences in algal cell concentration in different urban lakes, which ranged from 4700 × 10⁴ to 247,800 × 10⁴cell/L. Through light microscopy, 6 phyla were identified, which includes Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta, Cyanophyta, Dinophyta, Euglenophyta, and Cryptophyta. Meanwhile, the heat map with the total 63 algal community composition at the genus level profile different urban lakes community structures are clearly distinguishable. Further analyses showed that the dominant genera were Limnothrix sp., Synedra sp., Cyclotella sp., Nephrocytium sp., Melosira sp., and Scenedesmus sp. among all samples. The integrated network analysis indicated that the highly connected taxa (hub) were Fragilaria sp., Scenedesmus sp., and Stephanodiscus sp. The water quality parameters of NO₃⁻-N and NH₄⁺-N had significant impacts on the structural composition of the algal community. Additionally, RDA further revealed distinct algal communities in the different urban lakes, and were influenced by NO₂⁻-N, Fe, and algal cell concentrations. In summary, these results demonstrate that the pattern of algal communities are highly correlated with geographic location and water quality on a large scale, and these results also give us further understanding of the complex algal communities and effectively managing eutrophication of urban lakes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Distribution and Ecological Risk of Contaminants in River)

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15 pages, 4009 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Heavy Metals in Sediment from the Urban and Rural Rivers in Harbin City, Northeast China

by Song Cui, Fuxiang Zhang, Peng Hu, Rupert Hough, Qiang Fu, Zulin Zhang, Lihui An, Yi-Fan Li, Kunyang Li, Dong Liu and Pengyu Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(22), 4313; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16224313 - 06 Nov 2019

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 2758

Abstract

The concentrations and ecological risk of six widespread heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn, Cd and Pb) were investigated and evaluated in sediments from both urban and rural rivers in a northeast city of China. The decreasing trend of the average concentration of heavy metals was Zn > Cr > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cd in Majiagou River (urban) and was Zn > Cr > Pb > Cu > Ni > Cd in Yunliang River (rural). The results showed that the concentrations of Cd and Zn were significantly elevated compared to the environmental background value (p < 0.05). Half of all sampling locations were deemed ‘contaminated’ as defined by the improved Nemerow pollution index (P_N’ > 1.0). Applying the potential ecological risk index (RI) indicated a ‘high ecological risk’ for both rivers, with Cd accounting for more than 80% in both cases. Source apportionment indicated a significant correlation between Cd and Zn in sediments (R = 0.997, p < 0.01) in Yunliang River, suggesting that agricultural activities could be the major sources. Conversely, industrial production, coal burning, natural sources and traffic emissions are likely to be the main pollution sources for heavy metals in Majiagou River. This study has improved our understanding of how human activities, industrial production, and agricultural production influence heavy metal pollution in urban and rural rivers, and it provides a further weight of evidence for the linkages between different pollutants and resulting levels of heavy metals in riverine sediments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Distribution and Ecological Risk of Contaminants in River)

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13 pages, 1562 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Anthropogenic Rare Earth Elements: Gadolinium in a Small Catchment in Guizhou Province, Southwest China

by Jue Zhang, Zhuhong Wang, Qixin Wu, Yanling An, Huipeng Jia and Yuanyi Shen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(20), 4052; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph16204052 - 22 Oct 2019

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3419

Abstract

Rare earth elements (REEs), known as “industrial vitamins”, are widely used in medical treatment, industry, agriculture, etc. However, with the increasing demand for REEs, excess REEs, such as gadolinium (Gd), are considered micropollutants in the environment. In this paper, the distributions of dissolved REEs were analyzed in three small streams, in order to determine the extent and occurrence of Gd anomalies. The shale-normalized REE patterns in the three streams were less smooth with heavy REEs higher than light REEs, for a weak reaction of the heavy REE complexes. A negative Ce (cerium) anomaly and positive samarium (Sm) and europium (Eu) anomalies were observed in the three streams and the negative Ce anomaly was affected by the pH of the alkaline rivers. However, a positive Gd anomaly was found in only a typical urban small stream, Jinzhong. With a population of approximately 60,000, Jinzhong runs by a hospital and through wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The concentrations of Gd in Jinzhong ranged from 1.54 to 86.65 ng/L with high anthropogenic Gd proportions (63.64%–98.07%). Anthropogenic Gd showed significant seasonal variations and distinct spatial disparities from upstream to downstream, and it was associated with certain ions such as Cl⁻. Anthropogenic Gd could be attributed to gadopentetic acid (Gd-DTPA), which is used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in hospitals. This type of Gd was shown to be correlated with municipal wastewater. Due to the high stability and low particulate reactivity in water, anthropogenic Gd has great potential to serve as a tracer to prove the presence of medical wastewater. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Distribution and Ecological Risk of Contaminants in River)

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