Apex predators are good indicators of environmental pollution since they are relatively long-lived and their high trophic position and spatiotemporal exposure to chemicals provides insights into the persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) properties of chemicals. Although monitoring data from apex predators can considerably support chemicals’ management, there is a lack of pan-European studies, and longer-term monitoring of chemicals in organisms from higher trophic levels. The present study investigated the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in 67 freshwater, marine and terrestrial apex predators and in freshwater and marine prey, gathered from four European countries. Generic sample preparation protocols for the extraction of CECs with a broad range of physicochemical properties and the purification of the extracts were used. The analysis was performed utilizing liquid (LC) chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), while the acquired chromatograms were screened for the presence of more than 2,200 CECs through wide-scope target analysis. In total, 145 CECs were determined in the apex predator and their prey samples belonging in different categories, such as pharmaceuticals, plant protection products, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, their metabolites and transformation products. Higher concentration levels were measured in predators compared to prey, suggesting that biomagnification of chemicals through the food chain occurs. The compounds were prioritized for further regulatory risk assessment based on their frequency of detection and their concentration levels. The majority of the prioritized CECs were lipophilic, although the presence of more polar contaminants should not be neglected. This indicates that holistic analytical approaches are required to fully characterize the chemical universe of biota samples. Therefore, the present survey is an attempt to systematically investigate the presence of thousands of chemicals at a European level, aiming to use these data for better chemicals management and contribute to EU Zero Pollution Ambition.

顶级掠食者是环境污染的良好指标，因为它们的寿命相对较长，而且它们的高营养位置和对化学品的时空暴露提供了对化学品持久性、生物累积性和毒性 (PBT) 特性的深入了解。尽管来自顶级捕食者的监测数据可以在很大程度上支持化学品的管理，但缺乏泛欧研究，也缺乏对较高营养水平生物体中化学品的长期监测。本研究调查了来自四个欧洲国家的 67 种淡水、海洋和陆地顶级捕食者以及淡水和海洋猎物中新兴关注污染物 (CEC) 的发生情况。使用了用于提取具有广泛物理化学特性的 CEC 和提取物纯化的通用样品制备方案。该分析是利用液相 (LC) 色谱与高分辨率质谱 (HRMS) 联用进行的，同时通过广域目标分析对采集的色谱图进行了筛选，以确定是否存在超过 2,200 个 CEC。总共在顶级捕食者及其猎物样本中测定了 145 个 CEC，这些样本属于不同类别，例如药物、植物保护产品、全氟和多氟烷基物质、它们的代谢物和转化产物。与猎物相比，捕食者的浓度水平更高，这表明化学物质通过食物链发生了生物放大。根据化合物的检测频率和浓度水平，对这些化合物进行进一步监管风险评估的优先顺序。大多数优先 CEC 是亲脂性的，但不应忽视更多极性污染物的存在。这表明需要整体分析方法来充分表征生物群样品的化学宇宙。因此，本次调查试图系统地调查欧洲范围内数千种化学品的存在情况，旨在利用这些数据更好地管理化学品并为欧盟零污染目标做出贡献。这表明需要整体分析方法来充分表征生物群样品的化学宇宙。因此，本次调查试图系统地调查欧洲范围内数千种化学品的存在情况，旨在利用这些数据更好地管理化学品并为欧盟零污染目标做出贡献。这表明需要整体分析方法来充分表征生物群样品的化学宇宙。因此，本次调查试图系统地调查欧洲范围内数千种化学品的存在情况，旨在利用这些数据更好地管理化学品并为欧盟零污染目标做出贡献。