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Occurrence, Effects and Ecological Risk Assessment of Emerging Contaminants in Rivers

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A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecotoxicology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 December 2022) | Viewed by 24182

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maria João Rocha

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Guest Editor

Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar and Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
Interests: pharmaceuticals; endocrine disruptors; PAHs; pesticides; PCBs; industrial pollutants; risk assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Lúcia Guilhermino

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Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS) and Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto, Portugal
Interests: ecotoxicological and ecological effects; risk assessment; microplastics; nanomaterials; pharmaceuticals; mixtures; alterations from global changes

Dr. Tânia Vieira Madureira

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Guest Editor

Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Portugal
Interests: sex steroid hormones; endocrine disruption; pharmaceuticals; environmental toxicology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The quality and quantity of freshwater available worldwide is becoming scarcer due to climate changes, inappropriate agricultural practices, and/or to deficient/absent wastewater treatment of the impacted streams. Additionally, since human occupation of riverine and estuarine areas has increased exponentially, the evaluation of the risks caused by anthropogenic contaminants in both biota and humans has become an emergent issue, accordingly to several criteria, such as those established by the Water Frame Directive and the World Health Organization.

Keeping these aspects in mind, this Special Issue aims to provide updated insights about the impacts of emergent contaminants on the riverine ecosystems through monitoring and risk assessment strategies. Surely, studying the interaction of the pollutants amongst each other (mixtures), their presence in diverse matrices (water, sediments and biota) and considering different trophic levels, will provide further comprehension about these vital issues.

In this Special Issue, it is expected that authors advance with studies presenting a critical view or that illustrate the occurrence and implementation of risk assessment analysis, indicating their respective advantages and/or constraints, ideally offering a global (worldwide) panorama of river contamination and its impacts on health.

Prof. Dr. Maria João Rocha
Prof. Dr. Lúcia Guilhermino
Dr. Tânia Vieira Madureira
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

endocrine disruptors
human and ecosystem health
industrial pollutants
microplastics
nanomaterials
metals
pesticides
PAHs
PCBs
pharmaceuticals

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 938 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Metal Contamination in Water of Freshwater Aquaculture Farms from a South Asian Tropical Coastal Area

by Mohammad Belal Hossain, Md. Robel Miazie, As-Ad Ujjaman Nur, Shyamal Kumar Paul, Muhammad Abu Bakar, Bilal Ahamad Paray and Takaomi Arai

Toxics 2022, 10(9), 536; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics10090536 - 14 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2184

Abstract

Heavy metal accumulation in aquaculture farms has become a major problem due to the widespread use of artificial feed to enhance fish productivity. To estimate the contamination level and identify metal sources, we investigated the amounts of seven heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Mn) in the surface water of commercial fresh water aquaculture farms in a south Asian tropical coastal area. Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) was used to analyze 36 water samples from 12 commercial fish farms. The results demonstrated that the range of three heavy metals were detected in a decreasing order of Mn (0.0574–0.4100 mg.L⁻¹) > Zn (0.0125–0.3250 mg.L⁻¹) > Cu (0.0275–0.085 mg.L⁻¹). In all samples, the remaining four heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, and Ni) were below the detectable level (BDL). Except for Mn, the amounts of the metals examined were below WHO and USEPA guideline values. According to the findings, the levels were found to be safe for drinking, agriculture production, and aquaculture. There was no significant correlation (p > 0.05) between heavy metal concentrations and water quality parameters, indicating that pollution came from diverse sources and that no single factor was controlling their levels. Furthermore, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed no significant differences in the mean metal values among the fish farms (p > 0.05). Multivariate analyses (CA and PCA) demonstrated the association and sources of metal in the study area. Although metal levels were not beyond the threshold limit, it is recommended that suitable measures and continuous monitoring should be undertaken to reduce heavy metal pollution in aquaculture farms and prevent water quality degradation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Effects and Ecological Risk Assessment of Emerging Contaminants in Rivers)

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19 pages, 831 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Heavy Metals Accumulation in Tissues of Wild and Farmed Barramundi from the Northern Bay of Bengal Coast, and Its Estimated Human Health Risks

by Tanha Tahity, Md. Rakeb Ul Islam, Nurer Zaman Bhuiyan, Tasrina Rabia Choudhury, Jimmy Yu, Md. Abu Noman, Mohammad Mozammal Hosen, Shamshad B. Quraishi, Bilal Ahamad Paray, Takaomi Arai and Mohammad Belal Hossain

Toxics 2022, 10(8), 410; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics10080410 - 22 Jul 2022

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3501

Abstract

Globally, both natural water bodies and aquaculture systems are being severely contaminated by heavy metals due to rising anthropogenic activities. Fish living in aquatic environments can easily accumulate metals in their bodies, which can then be transferred to consumers and put them at risk. In this study, metal concentrations (Pb, Cd, Cr, As, Mn, Cu, Zn) in different organs (gill, liver, and muscle) of farmed and wild Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) fish from the northern Bay of Bengal were evaluated to quantify and compare contamination levels and related human health risk. Heavy metal concentrations were higher in liver tissues of farmed Barramundi than in wild Barramundi, with the following relative mean values in the liver, gills, and muscle: Zn > Cu > Pb > Mn > Cd > Cr > As; Zn > Cr > Cu > Pb > Mn > Cd > As; Zn > Pb > Cu > Cr > Mn > Cd > As; Zn > Pb > Cu > Cr > Mn > Cd > As; and Zn > Pb > Cu > Cr > Mn > Cd > As, respectively. The differences in heavy metal accumulation observed between farmed and wild fish were probably related to the differences in their environmental conditions and dietary element concentrations. However, ANOVA indicated that the variation of metals in wild and Barramundi was not statically significant. Pb concentrations in the liver tissue of farmed Barramundi exceeded the national and international threshold limits, whereas concentrations of other metals were within the limit. Among the examined organs in both fish species (wild and farmed), muscle had the lowest concentration compared to others, and liver was the target organ for Pb, Cu, and Cd accumulations. Metals such as Zn and Mn exhibited higher concentration in the gills. However, all the studied heavy metals were below the maximum permissible limits of national and international standards, but the mean concentrations of Pb and Cd values in the liver of farmed Barramundi exceeded all international and national guidelines. Based on the contamination factors (CF) and pollution indices (PLI and MPI), the degree of contamination in the fish organs was as follows: gills > liver > muscle. The major accumulation tissues for both farmed and wild fish were found to be the gills (MPI = 0.970) and the liver (MPI = 0.692). Based on the estimated daily intake (EDI), the fish samples examined in this study are safe for human consumption as within the recommended daily allowance (RDA) range established by various authorities. According to the Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) and Carcinogenic Risk (CR) calculations, though the Barramundi fishes depicted no potential hazard to humans, farmed fish posed a higher health risk than wild fish. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Effects and Ecological Risk Assessment of Emerging Contaminants in Rivers)

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17 pages, 4302 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Ecological and Human Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Cultured Shrimp and Aquaculture Sludge

by Salma Sultana, Mohammad Belal Hossain, Tasrina R. Choudhury, Jimmy Yu, Md. Sohel Rana, Mohammad Abu Noman, M. Mozammal Hosen, Bilal Ahamad Paray and Takaomi Arai

Toxics 2022, 10(4), 175; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics10040175 - 02 Apr 2022

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 3713

Abstract

Shrimp is one of the major export products in South Asian countries and also an eminent source of nutrition for humans. Hence, any negative effect of this industry may affect not only the country’s economy but also human health. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to assess heavy metal contamination and associated human health risks in cultured shrimp (Penaeus monodon) and aquaculture sludge collected from three shrimp farms of the Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh. The results showed that among the eight metals studied, Pb (17.75 ± 1.5 mg/kg) and Cu (9.43 ± 2.8 mg/kg) levels in all shrimp samples were higher than the recommended limit, whereas the concentrations of Cd (0.09 ± 0.03 mg/kg), Mn (4.83 ± 2.2 mg/kg), As (0.04 ± 0.02 mg/kg), Hg (0.02 ± 0.006 mg/kg), Zn (18.89 ± 2.9 mg/kg) and Cr (0.69 ± 0.6 mg/kg) were within the permissible level. The concentrations of Mn (1043.37 ± 59.8 mg/kg), Cr (30.38 ± 2.1 mg/kg), Zn (74.72 ± 1.13 mg/kg) and Cu (31.14 ± 1.4 mg/kg) in the sludge of all farms were higher than the recommended limit, whereas the concentrations of Pb (20.23 ± 1.9 mg/kg), Cd (0.09 ± 0.2 mg/kg), As (0.44 ± 0.34 mg/kg) and Hg (0.08 ± 0.02 mg/kg) in all sludge samples were lower than the threshold limits. However, the estimated daily intake (EDI), targeted hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) assessed for potential human health risk implications suggested that Pb and Cr may pose non-carcinogenic health effects, although carcinogenic risks (CR) values were acceptable for consumers. However, the pollution load index (PLI) of the studied area was below 1, which indicates low deterioration of the area. Geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and contamination factor (CF) analyses revealed that study area is unpolluted and sludge is enriched with metals in the following order: Mn > Zn > Cu > Cr > Cd > Hg > Pb > As. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Effects and Ecological Risk Assessment of Emerging Contaminants in Rivers)

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18 pages, 1172 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Metals Bioaccumulation in 15 Commonly Consumed Fishes from the Lower Meghna River and Adjacent Areas of Bangladesh and Associated Human Health Hazards

by Mohammad Belal Hossain, Fatema Tanjin, M. Safiur Rahman, Jimmy Yu, Shirin Akhter, Md Abu Noman and Jun Sun

Toxics 2022, 10(3), 139; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics10030139 - 12 Mar 2022

Cited by 36 | Viewed by 7820

Abstract

The lower Meghna River, the easternmost part of the Ganges Delta, faces severe anthropogenic perturbations as it receives a huge discharge and industrial effluents. To measure the metal concentrations and human health hazards, edible tissues of 15 commercially important fish species were collected from the local fish markets and the lower Meghna River, Bangladesh. Trace and heavy metals such as Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Hg, Ni, Ca, Co, Se, Rb, Sr, and As were detected using the Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) method. The hierarchy of mean metal concentrations obtained was: Fe (162.198 mg/kg) > Zn (113.326 mg/kg) > Ca (87.828 mg/kg) > Sr (75.139 mg/kg) > Cu (36.438 mg/kg) > Se (9.087 mg/kg) > Cr (7.336 mg/kg) > Mn (6.637 mg/kg) > Co (3.474 mg/kg) > Rb (1.912 mg/kg) > Hg (1.657 mg/kg) > Ni (1.467 mg/kg) > Pb (0.521 mg/kg) > As (BDL). Based on the metal concentration obtained, the carnivorous species contained more metals than omnivores and herbivores. Similarly, the euryhaline and benthic feeder fishes had more metals than the stenohalines and demersal fishes. The metal pollution index (MPI) suggested that the highly consumed fish species Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) and Rui (Labeo rohita) accumulated higher metals than other fishes. Both the Targeted Hazard Quotient (THQ) and Hazard Index (HI) values for adult and child consumers were <1, indicating that consumers would not experience the non-carcinogenic health effects. Although children were more susceptible than adults, carcinogenic risk (CR) exposure of Cr for all the consumers was found in the acceptable range (10⁻⁶ to 10⁻⁴), but the CR exposure of Pb was negligible for all the consumers. The correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis were conducted to identify the sources of metals identified from the fish tissue. The results indicated that the probable sources of the pollutants were anthropogenic, arising from agricultural activities, electroplating materials, and lubricants used near the study area. However, the present study showed a different metal concentration in the samples at different levels but within the threshold levels non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks; hence, the fishes of the area, in general, are safe for human consumption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Effects and Ecological Risk Assessment of Emerging Contaminants in Rivers)

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20 pages, 738 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Heavy Metals in the Fish Tenualosa ilisha Hamilton, 1822 in the Padma–Meghna River Confluence: Potential Risks to Public Health

by Md. Jahangir Sarker, Md. Ariful Islam, Farhana Rahman and Md. Anisuzzaman

Toxics 2021, 9(12), 341; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics9120341 - 08 Dec 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3452

Abstract

Hilsa shad (Tenulosa ilisha) is Bangladesh’s most important single-species fishery that contributes to 11% of total catch and employment for millions of people. However, heavy metals (HMs) toxicity in the edible organs of T. ilisha and their plausible public health threats have received weak attention. To provide insights on this issue, we determined, using ICP-MS, the concentration of Zn, Cu, Cr (VI), Pb, and Cd in the edible organs of five different sizes of T. ilisha and the surface water collected from the Padma–Meghna River confluence, Chandpur (Bangladesh). Multivariate analysis indicated that T. ilisha gills and liver contained higher HMs than muscle, and the surface water was below the safety limits. The study revealed that only Cr crossed the safety limits and bioaccumulated in the smaller-sized gills and liver. To assess the public health risks, target hazard quotient (THQ), total THQ (TTHQ) and carcinogenic (CR) risks were calculated. Only Cr imposed non-carcinogenic risks to consumers, while TTHQ showed higher chronic health risks. There was no CR risk measured for consumers, except for the largest-sized gills for children. Randomly positive relations between HMs and sizes were found; whereas, consistently positive relations were found among the tissue types. The outcomes of our study may aid policymakers in managing pollutants, especially the Cr sources in the greater Chandpur regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Effects and Ecological Risk Assessment of Emerging Contaminants in Rivers)

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Review

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25 pages, 5716 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Synthetic Progestins in Waste and Surface Waters: Concentrations, Impacts and Ecological Risk

by Maria João Rocha and Eduardo Rocha

Toxics 2022, 10(4), 163; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics10040163 - 29 Mar 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2506

Abstract

Synthetic progestins (PGs) are a large family of hormones used in continuously growing amounts in human and animal contraception and medicinal therapies. Because wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are unable to eradicate PGs after excretion, they are discharged into aquatic systems, where they can also be regenerated from conjugated PG metabolites. This review summarises the concentrations of 12 PGs in waters from 2015 to 2021. The selected PGs were considered of particular interest due to their wide use, activity, and hormonal derivation (from testosterone, progesterone, and spirolactone). We concluded that PGs had been analysed in WWTPs influents and effluents and, to a lesser extent, in other matrices, including surface waters, where their concentrations range from ng/L to a few µg/L. Because of their high affinity for cell hormone receptors, PGs are endocrine disruptor compounds that may alter the reproductive fitness and development of biota. This review focused on their biological effects in fish, which are the most used aquatic model organisms to qualify the impacts of PGs, highlighting the risks that environmental concentrations pose to their health, fecundity, and fertility. It is concluded that PGs research should be expanded because of the still limited data on their environmental concentrations and effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Occurrence, Effects and Ecological Risk Assessment of Emerging Contaminants in Rivers)

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