Microplastics in freshwater systems: A review of the emerging threats, identification of knowledge gaps and prioritisation of research needs

Occurrences and removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in drinking water and water/sewage treatment plants: A review

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs): a review on environmental contamination in China.

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An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America

Review of risk from potential emerging contaminants in UK groundwater.

A review of personal care products in the aquatic environment: environmental concentrations and toxicity.

Widespread detection of human pharmaceuticals in the environment, ranging between ng/L and mg/L levels in surface waters and effluents and ng/kg to mg/kg levels in aquatic and terrestrial organisms, has caused increased concern of potential ecological effects and hazards to aquatic species and fomented new investigations of potential effects of biosolids and effluents from wastewater treatment plants. Here, we critically review such recent research on the aquatic toxicity of human pharmaceuticals to aquatic organisms. Toxicity testing considerations are examined for differences in sensitivities among aquatic organisms and acute and chronic response thresholds. We further provide perspectives and recommendations, including integration of adverse outcome pathway approaches, during future ecotoxicological studies of human pharmaceuticals in the environment.

Human Pharmaceuticals in the Aquatic Environment: A Review of Recent Toxicological Studies and Considerations for Toxicity Testing

A two-tier ecological risk assessment was conducted for pesticides monitored in sediment at 36 sampling sites in south Florida freshwater canals from 1990–2002. For tier 1, we identified the chemicals of potential ecological concern (COPECs) as DDT, DDD, DDE, chlordane and endosulfan based on their exceedence of sediment quality standards at 20 sites. For 12 sites with data on the fraction of organic carbon in sediments, whole sediment concentrations of COPECs were converted to pore water concentrations based on equilibrium partitioning. In tier 2, a probabilistic risk assessment compared distributions of pore water exposure concentrations of COPECs with effects distributions of freshwater arthropod response data from laboratory toxicity tests. Arthropod effects distributions included benthic and non-benthic arthropod species for chlordane (n = 9), DDD (n = 12), DDE (n = 5), DDT (n = 48), and endosulfan (n = 26). The overlap of predicted pore water concentrations and arthropod effects distributions was us...

Pesticides of Potential Ecological Concern in Sediment from South Florida Canals: An Ecological Risk Prioritization for Aquatic Arthropods

Widespread, high-volume use and subsequent off-site transport of herbicides, specifically photosystem II inhibitors (PSII), on agricultural and noncultivated lands in south Florida has resulted in frequent detections in freshwater systems. In light of the current restoration efforts as part of the Comprehensive Environmental Restoration Plan (CERP), increased water flows containing detectable herbicide levels into the Everglades ecosystem and adjacent areas may have adverse consequences to the unique plant communities present in the region. The potential impact of individual herbicides to aquatic plant and algae species was examined using a probabilistic risk assessment approach. Risk was characterized for nine PSII herbicides (four triazines: ametryn, atrazine, simazine, and prometryn; two triazinones: hexazinone and metribuzin; two substituted ureas: diuron and linuron; and a uracil: bromacil) and a pyridazinone herbicide (norflurazon) by comparing the overlap of the 90th percentile surface water concentration (exposure benchmark) from the exposure distributions to the 10th percentile of effects (effects benchmark) determined from species sensitivity distributions of acute laboratory toxicity data. Overall, the risk of the individual herbicides was generally low. A Multiple Substance Potentially Affected Fraction (msPAF) risk approach also was utilized to examine the joint toxicity of the herbicide mixtures based on a concentration addition model. The risk associated with the herbicide mixture (mainly bromacil, diuron, and norflurazon) was determined to be high for Lee (site S79 on the Caloosahatchee River), Martin (site S80 on St. Lucie Canal), and St. Lucie (site S99 on C25 emptying into Indian River Lagoon) counties in south Florida. This study highlights the need to consider joint action of chemical mixtures as part of an ecological risk assessment.

Aquatic risk assessment of herbicides in freshwater ecosystems of South Florida.

A screening-level aquatic risk assessment was conducted for copper in south Florida’s freshwater and saltwater environments. Risk was quantified by comparing the overlap between the probability distributions of copper exposure from surface water and sediment with the probability distributions of effects data obtained from laboratory studies. Copper concentrations in surface water and sediment in south Florida were summarized by county. For surface water, the highest concentrations of copper were found in Martin and St. Lucie counties for freshwater and saltwater, respectively. From the exposure probability distributions, the 90th centile values were estimated at 14.0 μg/L and 15.4 μg/L in freshwater and saltwater, respectively. Copper concentrations in sediment were evaluated from a probability distribution of predicted pore water concentrations. The 90th centile values of pore water concentrations from freshwater sediments ranged from 5.0 μg/L in Palm Beach County to 71.7 μg/L in Broward County. In saltwater sediments, the 90th centile values for pore water ranged from 26.1 μg/L in St. Lucie County to 27.3 μg/L in Miami-Dade County. Ecological effects data were obtained for acute and chronic copper effects in freshwater and saltwater. The 10th centile values for acute effects data were 21.2 μg/L and 9.8 μg/L for freshwater and saltwater species, respectively. For chronic effects, the 10th centile values were 3.8 μg/L and 3.9 μg/L for freshwater and saltwater species, respectively. The risk of acute copper exposure in surface water was generally low; however, the potential for ecological risk from chronic copper exposure was low to high in several counties including Lee, Martin, and St. Lucie counties. The risk of acute copper exposure in porewater from freshwater sediments also was low with the exception of St. Lucie and Broward counties. However, porewater from saltwater sediments posed a significant acute risk in Miami-Dade and St. Lucie counties. In porewater from freshwater and saltwater sediments chronic risk was high in counties with sufficient data available to calculate risk estimates.

Gary M. Rand

Papers

A review of personal care products in the aquatic environment: environmental concentrations and toxicity.

Human Pharmaceuticals in the Aquatic Environment: A Review of Recent Toxicological Studies and Considerations for Toxicity Testing

Pesticides of Potential Ecological Concern in Sediment from South Florida Canals: An Ecological Risk Prioritization for Aquatic Arthropods

Aquatic risk assessment of herbicides in freshwater ecosystems of South Florida.

Aquatic risk assessment of copper in freshwater and saltwater ecosystems of South Florida