Emerging Contaminants in Streams of Doce River Watershed, Minas Gerais, Brazil

This study investigated the occurrence and risk assessment of ten pharmaceutical products and two herbicides in the water of rivers from the Doce river watershed (Brazil). Of the 12 chemicals studied, ten (acyclovir, amoxicillin, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, fluoxetine, erythromycin, sulfadiazine, sulfamethoxazole, glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid) had a 100% detection rate. In general, total concentrations of all target drugs ranged from 4.6 to 14.5 μg L−1, with fluoroquinolones and sulfonamides being the most representative classes of pharmaceutical products. Herbicides were found at concentrations at least ten times higher than those of the individual pharmaceutical products and represented the major class of contaminants in the samples. Most of the contaminants studied were above concentrations that pose an ecotoxicological risk to aquatic biota. Urban wastewater must be the main source of contaminants in waterbodies. Our results show that, in addition to the study of metal in water (currently being conducted after the Fundão dam breach), there is an urgent need to monitor emerging contaminant in waters from Doce river watershed rivers, as some chemicals pose environmental risks to aquatic life and humans due to the use of surface water for drinking and domestic purposes by the local population. Special attention should be given to glyphosate, aminomethylphosaphonic acid, and to ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin (whose concentrations are above predicted levels that induce resistance selection).

Download Full-text

Removal of Emerging Pollutants from Water Using Environmentally Friendly Processes: Photocatalysts Preparation, Characterization, Intermediates Identification and Toxicity Assessment

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano11010215 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 215

Author(s):

Nina Finčur ◽

Paula Sfîrloagă ◽

Predrag Putnik ◽

Vesna Despotović ◽

Marina Lazarević ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emerging Contaminants ◽

Sol Gel ◽

Toxicity Assessment ◽

Emerging Pollutants ◽

Simulated Sunlight ◽

Aquatic Life ◽

Mgo Nanoparticles ◽

Emerging Pollutant ◽

Wheat Germination ◽

Modern Technologies

Pharmaceuticals and pesticides are emerging contaminants problematic in the aquatic environment because of their adverse effects on aquatic life and humans. In order to remove them from water, photocatalysis is one of the most modern technologies to be used. First, newly synthesized photocatalysts were successfully prepared using a sol–gel method and characterized by different techniques (XRD, FTIR, UV/Vis, BET and SEM/EDX). The photocatalytic properties of TiO2, ZnO and MgO nanoparticles were examined according to their removal from water for two antibiotics (ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone) and two herbicides (tembotrione and fluroxypyr) exposed to UV/simulated sunlight (SS). TiO2 proved to be the most efficient nanopowder under UV and SS. Addition of (NH4)2S2O8 led to the faster removal of both antibiotics and herbicide fluroxypyr. The main intermediates were separated and identified for the herbicides and antibiotic ciprofloxacin. Finally, the toxicity of each emerging pollutant mixture and formed intermediates was assessed on wheat germination and biomass production.

Download Full-text

Mayfly diversity in the brazilian tropical headwaters of Serra do Cipó

Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology ◽

10.1590/s1516-89132005000800015 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 48 (6) ◽

pp. 983-996 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Michael Goulart ◽

Marcos Callisto

Keyword(s):

Taxonomic Richness ◽

Dry Period ◽

Lotic Ecosystems ◽

River Watershed ◽

Rainy Period ◽

Sao Francisco River ◽

Serra Do Cipó ◽

São Francisco River ◽

Dry Seasons ◽

Doce River

The objectives of this study were to evaluate spatial and seasonal distribution, assemblage structure and substrate associations of mayfly nymphs in five lotic ecosystems in the headwaters of the Doce River and São Francisco River watersheds, Brazil. Samples were taken in 24 sampling stations during rainy and dry seasons in 1998. In total, 7,066 organisms were collected, belonging to 27 genera and 6 families of Ephemeroptera. The dominant taxa were Americabaetis, Paracloeodes, Leptohyphes and Hagenulus. During the rainy period, the São Francisco River watershed showed higher taxonomic richness, diversity and evenness, while in the dry period, the taxonomic richness was higher in Doce River watershed. No significant differences were found in the taxonomic richness, diversity, evenness and density of mayfly assemblages between the two studied sampling periods. The results suggested that the diversity of the mayfly assemblages in tropical headwaters of Serra do Cipó would be probably due to ecosystem and watershed characteristics.

Download Full-text

Analysis of the British Columbia Water Quality Index for Watershed Managers: a Case Study of Two Small Watersheds

Water Quality Research Journal ◽

10.2166/wqrj.1998.030 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 519-550 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Paul A. Zandbergen ◽

Ken J. Hall

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

British Columbia ◽

Water Quality Index ◽

Quality Index ◽

Management Tool ◽

Research Centre ◽

Aquatic Life ◽

River Watershed ◽

Small Watersheds ◽

Water Quality Objectives

Abstract The use of indices in ecosystem management is attractive because it allows for the representation of a complex set of information on ecosystem variables in a simple fashion. Recently the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks developed the British Columbia Water Quality Index (BCWQI). As this index is currently being considered as the basis for other provincial indices and a national water quality index, the character of the BCWQI needs to be carefully considered. This study evaluates the performance of the BCWQI and assesses how useful and appropriate it is as a management tool at the watershed level. For this purpose the index is used to express the results of two sampling programs, one by the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, and the other by the Westwater Research Centre, of two relatively small watersheds in the Greater Vancouver area: the Brunette River watershed, heavily impacted by urbanization, and the Salmon River watershed on the urban-rural fringe. For both watersheds the intended use is the protection of aquatic life and only those water quality objectives are considered. The results indicate that the BCWQI is extremely sensitive to sampling design and highly dependent on the specific application of water quality objectives. A comparison is made with another type of index in widespread use in North America: the National Sanitation Foundation Water Quality Index (NSFWQI). This index appears promising for stream stewardship groups because of its simplicity and ease of use. For watershed managers, an alternative to the BCWQI is suggested, based on exceedance factors for individual objectives. This Simple Water Quality Index (SWQI) recognizes the importance of objectives that are specific to a particular water body, but overcomes some of the limitations of the BCWQI. A presentation format is suggested for objective exceedance factors, with a clear indication of exactly which objectives were included — without this, the final numerical index value is meaningless. This study suggests that the BCWQI in its current form has serious limitations for comparing water bodies and for establishing management priorities. If local watershed managers use the BCWQI in guiding efforts to protect aquatic resources, they should consider these limitations carefully.

Download Full-text

A Review of Emerging Contaminants in Water

Waste Management ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-1210-4.ch008 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 177-202

Author(s):

Alexandros I. Stefanakis ◽

Julie A. Becker

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Emerging Contaminants ◽

Aquatic Environments ◽

Contaminants Of Emerging Concern ◽

Aquatic Life ◽

Introduction Pathways ◽

Analytical Instrumentation ◽

Surface And Groundwater

Contaminants of emerging concern or, simply, emerging contaminants represent a newly discovered group of chemicals present in surface and groundwater. It was only the improvements in analytical instrumentation that allowed for the detection of these contaminants even at trace levels. The continuous detection of new chemicals with time raises questions concerning their source pathways, their fate, transport, transformations and impact on aquatic environments. The scope of this chapter is to present an overview of the contaminants classified as “emerging”, their sources and introduction pathways to the environment and the related risks to human health and aquatic life.

Download Full-text

A Review of Emerging Contaminants in Water

Practice, Progress, and Proficiency in Sustainability - Impact of Water Pollution on Human Health and Environmental Sustainability ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-9559-7.ch003 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 55-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Alexandros I. Stefanakis ◽

Julie A. Becker

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Emerging Contaminants ◽

Aquatic Environments ◽

Contaminants Of Emerging Concern ◽

Aquatic Life ◽

Introduction Pathways ◽

Analytical Instrumentation ◽

Surface And Groundwater

Download Full-text

Risk Assessment of Copper-Contaminated Sediments in the Tsolum River Near Courtenay, British Columbia

Water Quality Research Journal ◽

10.2166/wqrj.1996.039 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

pp. 725-740 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

John Deniseger ◽

Y.T. John Kwong

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Risk Assessment ◽

British Columbia ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽

Secondary Source ◽

Aquatic Life ◽

Mine Site ◽

River Watershed ◽

Copper Contaminated

Abstract Acidic drainage originating from an abandoned copper mine on Mt. Washington has given rise to elevated dissolved copper concentrations that may threaten aquatic life throughout most of the Tsolum River watershed on central Vancouver Island. Only sediments in the upper portion of the watershed near the mine site, however, have tested acutely toxic to the amphipod Hyalella azteca. Despite evidence of mechanical transport of copper up to 18 km down-stream from the mine site, the sediment-bound copper in the lower watershed appear to be highly stable such that the copper-rich sediments are unlikely to become a secondary source of dissolved copper. In addition to copper attenuation through dilution, extensive wetland areas in the lower watershed contribute significant amounts of dissolved organic carbon that form stable complexes with copper and ameliorate the toxic effects of dissolved copper. These observations imply that successful reclamation at the mine site is probably sufficient to assure acceptable water quality farther downstream.

Download Full-text

Farmers' attitudes towards sustainable agriculture issues and environmental quality in a selected area of Bangladesh

American Journal of Alternative Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0889189300007979 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 22-29 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. Z. Rahman ◽

H. Mikuni

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Development ◽

Management Practices ◽

Productivity Loss ◽

Favorable Attitude ◽

Agricultural Technologies ◽

Aquatic Life ◽

The Government ◽

The Individual ◽

High Level

AbstractThe sustainability issues associated with agricultural development are a growing concern worldwide. This study focussed on farmers' attitudes about environmental degradation and long term productivity loss that may result from implementation of modern agricultural technologies. The study was conducted in a selected area of Bangladesh and field level data were collected from the sampled farmers through personal interviewing. Findings revealed that more than two-thirds of the farmers confronted either a medium or high level of environmental problems due to intensive cultivation. Their main concerns were stress on soil fertility, loss of essential aquatic life, and reduction of earthworms and other beneficial organisms in soil. The farmers' recommended solutions were production of high yielding crop varieties with conservation management practices, and the balanced use of chemical fertilizers and organic manures. To apply these techniques, the top expectation of the farmers was to receive subsidies for agricultural inputs, and get easy-term credit from the government or non-government organizations. Interestingly, just half the farmers in the study area possessed a less than favorable attitude towards sustainability issues of agricultural development. In other words, to them these issues were of low or marginal priority. Only 6% of them expressed a highly favorable attitude (high priority) and 44% expressed a moderate attitude. Based on correlations, the individual farmer's age, education, family size, organizational participation, television exposure, communication behavior and environmental problem confrontation were identified as the main determinants of their attitudes about sustainability issues. Hence, these factors should be considered when formulating programs and policies for agriculture development that aim for long-term sustainability.

Download Full-text

Determination of pharmaceutical residues and assessment of their removal efficiency at the Daugavgriva municipal wastewater treatment plant in Riga, Latvia

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2016.528 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 75 (2) ◽

pp. 387-396 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

I. Reinholds ◽

O. Muter ◽

I. Pugajeva ◽

J. Rusko ◽

I. Perkons ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

High Performance ◽

Emerging Contaminants ◽

Municipal Wastewater ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽

High Resolution Mass Spectrometry ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Pharmaceutical Products ◽

Municipal Wastewater Treatment ◽

Toxicological Studies

Pharmaceutical products (PPs) belong to emerging contaminants that may accumulate along with other chemical pollutants in wastewaters (WWs) entering industrial and/or urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In the present study, the technique of ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (Orbitrap-HRMS) was applied for the analysis of 24 multi-class PPs in WW samples collected at different technological stages of Daugavgriva WWTP located in Riga, Latvia. Caffeine and acetaminophen levels in the range of 7,570–11,403 ng/L and 810–1,883 ng/L, respectively, were the predominant compounds among 19 PPs determined in the WW. The results indicate that aerobic digestion in biological ponds was insufficiently effective to degrade most of the PPs (reduction efficiency <0–50.0%) with the exception of four PPs that showed degradation efficiency varying from 55.0 to 99.9%. Tests of short-term chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis for PP degradation in WW samples were performed, and the results reflected the complexity of different degradation mechanisms and physicochemical transformations of PPs. The toxicological studies of WW impact on Daphnia magna indicated gradual reduction of the total toxicity through the treatment stages at the WWTP.

Download Full-text

THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOLIAR SYMPTOMS AND THE POSSIBLE CAUSE AND ORIGIN OF WHITE PINE NEEDLE BLIGHT

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b60-014 ◽

1960 ◽

Vol 38 (2) ◽

pp. 153-161 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

S. N. Linzon

Keyword(s):

Local Population ◽

Early Summer ◽

Pine Needle ◽

White Pine ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Foliar Symptoms ◽

Leaf Tissues ◽

The Individual ◽

Possible Cause ◽

Needle Blight

Needle blight of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) is characterized by an orange-red discoloration of the distal portions of current year needles. At Chalk River, Ontario, 600 seedlings and saplings of white pine were examined repeatedly throughout the 1957 and 1958 growing seasons for the appearance and development of needle blight symptoms. The first of these were faint pinkish spots on the stomata-bearing faces of needles in semimature (about four-week-old) tissue. These developed rapidly into orange-red bands which within a few days spread to the needle tips. Mature tissue was not susceptible to attack, so lesions which developed subsequently were always proximal, on younger tissues derived from basal meristems. Attacks which occurred in the early summer killed only limited areas at the tips of needles, whereas those that occurred when the needles were nearly full-grown involved most of their length. Needle blight incidence was confined to a few major outbreaks during one season and in each of these many trees developed typical symptoms at essentially the same time. Each of these major outbreaks of the disease occurred after 1 or more days of wet weather which was followed suddenly by a continuous sunny period. No microorganisms were isolated from tissues displaying the initial needle blight symptoms.The data with respect to the nature and occurrence of needle blight are believed to suggest that susceptibility to the unfavorable conditions which incite it is inherent in the individual and that differences in response among members of a local population depend on variations in susceptibility, rather than on a varying local predisposition among uniformly susceptible individuals. The blight is initiated in semimature leaf tissues only but then spreads distally throughout adjacent, more mature tissues with a similar pattern of breakdown.

Download Full-text

Pharmaceuticals and Endocrine Disruptors in Wastewater Treatment Effluents and in the Water Supply System of Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Water Quality Research Journal ◽

10.2166/wqrj.2006.039 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 351-364 ◽

Cited By ~ 70

Author(s):

Mei Chen ◽

Klas Ohman ◽

Chris Metcalfe ◽

Michael G. Ikonomou ◽

Prasanna L. Amatya ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Water Supply ◽

Emerging Contaminants ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽

Collaborative Study ◽

Endocrine Disrupting Compounds ◽

Health Impact ◽

Supply System ◽

Water Supply System ◽

Aquatic Life

Abstract Due to a growing interest in the occurrence of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in the aquatic environment and their potential impacts on humans and the environment, a collaborative study was conducted on these emerging contaminants in the effluents from the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and in the drinking water supply system of Calgary, Alberta. A number of PhACs and EDCs were detected in the WWTP effluents, at concentrations ranging from ng/L to low µ-g/L. Although these compounds were generally removed from WWTP effluents during wastewater treatment, some compounds, such as carbamazepine were more persistent. Some target PhACs and EDCs were detected at low ng/L levels in the surface and potable water in this study. Currently, there is no evidence that trace amounts of PhACs and EDCs in Calgary's waterways can have a health impact on humans, but they may pose adverse chronic effects on aquatic life.

Download Full-text