Seasonal distribution, risks, and sources of endocrine disrupting chemicals in coastal waters: Will these emerging contaminants pose potential risks in marine environment at continental-scale?
Graphical abstract
Introduction
Coastal zone provides living environment for over 50% of human population in the world (Dennison, 2008). Coastal water is important for ecological safety and human health in coastal zone so that coastal water quality has attracted wide attention (Lu et al., 2018, 2019a,b; Pignotti and Dinelli, 2018). Coastal water pollution induced by different pollutants frequently occurs along coastline and shows significant spatial variation (Lu et al., 2018, 2019a; 2019b). However, information on distribution and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) which are emerging contaminants to induce feminization of aquatic organisms even at ng/L level (Hansen et al., 1998) in coastal water at continental-scale is not available. Most of studies mainly focused on occurrence of EDCs in a local coastal area only in a season (Lopes et al., 2016; Pignotti and Dinelli, 2018; Pojana et al., 2007).
EDCs generally include natural estrogens and synthesized chemicals showing estrogenic activity. Estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3) are 3 steroidal estrogens naturally existing in human/animal bodies while 17-α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) is synthesized mainly for birth control (Lu et al., 2012). Bisphenol A (BPA), 4-nonylphenol (4-NP), and 4-tert-octylphenol (4-t-OP) are environmental xenoestrogens synthesized with high production volume (Lu et al., 2012; Sheikh et al., 2017). EDCs widely exist in various matrices such as sediments, water, soils, air, and biota (Lu et al., 2012; Philip et al., 2018; Pojana et al., 2007), possibly posing potential risks to the ecosystems and human health.
Environmental pollution has become a crucial stress affecting the critical ecologically fragile regions such as the coastal zone due to the rapid economic development and extensive anthropogenic activities (Lu et al., 2018, 2019a, 2019b; Wu et al., 2019). Coastal waters are the critical ecologically fragile regions under the influence of the fastest economic developing pace and the extensive anthropogenic activities in coastal zone (Lu et al., 2018). Little information on the distribution, risks, and sources of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in coastal waters at continental-scale is available. Source apportionment and risk assessment has become increasingly important for control of emerging contaminants including EDCs (Huang et al., 2012; Lu et al., 2019a). It is still not clear how the different sources contribute to EDCs in coastal waters. Therefore, this study performed field investigation, risk assessment, and source apportionment to discuss the distribution, potential risks, and possible sources of EDCs in coastal waters along the 18,000 km coastline of China during dry and wet seasons. The final objective is to provide new comprehensive information on the continental-scale distribution, risks, and sources of endocrine disrupting chemicals in coastal waters, which is of great importance on the effective management and control of EDCs contamination in coastal zone.
Section snippets
Sampling strategy, chemicals, and sample pretreatment
Water samples were collected from 32 sites along the 18,000 km coastline of China in winter (November of 2017) and summer (June and July of 2018). The sampling sites belonged to Yellow Sea Area marked as Y, Bohai Area marked as B, and East/South China Sea Area marked as E/S (Fig. 1a). The most of sampling sites were close to the cities. Sampling strategy referred to the previous report (Lu et al., 2019a). Each water sample was composed of 6 sub-samples (6 × 5 L). Measurement of total organic
Coastline-based distribution of target EDCs in coastal waters at a continental-scale
Target EDCs in coastal waters showed significant temporal variations at a continental-scale (Fig. 1b and c). EDCs in coastal waters generally possessed higher concentrations in winter. The average total concentration of all target EDCs in coastal waters reached 580.0 ng/L in winter and 193.6 ng/L in summer. Phenolic EDCs were the predominant EDCs detected in coastal waters, averagely accounting for 78.94%/96.24% of total target EDCs in winter/summer. BPA was detected in all water samples with
Discussion
Comprehensive insight on EDCs contamination in coastal waters at a continental scale was obtained from this investigation. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first comprehensive study on EDCs in coastal environments in different seasons at a continental scale. Most of studies mainly focused on occurrence of EDCs in a local coastal area only in a season (Lopes et al., 2016; Pignotti and Dinelli, 2018; Pojana et al., 2007). According to the EEQs and ecological risk assessment at a
Conclusions
Target EDCs in coastal waters showed significant spatio-temporal variation in coastal waters along continental-scale coastline. Phenolic chemicals were the dominant EDCs in coastal waters and BPA was detected in all water samples in both winter and summer with relatively high concentrations. Estrone was the predominant steroidal EDC detected in coastal water samples. EDCs in coastal waters posed very high ecological risks with estrone/BPA serving as the predominant risk contributor in
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (41671319), Taishan Scholar Program of Shandong Province (No. tsqn201812116), One Hundred Talents Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Y629041021), and Two-Hundred Talents Plan of Yantai (Y739011021). The authors would like to thank the reviewers for their valuable suggestions and comments on the manuscript.
References (41)
- et al.
Occurrence, temporal evolution and risk assessment of pharmaceutically active compounds in Donana Park (Spain)
J. Hazard Mater.
(2010) - et al.
Immunomodulation of Mytilus hemocytes by individual estrogenic chemicals and environmentally relevant mixtures of estrogens: in vitro and in vivo studies
Aquat. Toxicol.
(2007) Environmental problem solving in coastal ecosystems: a paradigm shift to sustainability
Estuar. Coast Shelf Sci.
(2008)- et al.
The distribution of 4-nonylphenol in marine organisms of North American Pacific Coast estuaries
Chemosphere
(2012) - et al.
Estrogenic chemicals and estrogenicity in river waters of South Korea and seven Asian countries
Chemosphere
(2010) - et al.
Sources and transport of contaminants of emerging concern: a two-year study of occurrence and spatiotemporal variation in a mixed land use watershed
Sci. Total Environ.
(2016) - et al.
Contribution of known endocrine disrupting substances to the estrogenic activity in Tama River water samples from Japan using instrumental analysis and in vitro reporter gene assay
Water Res.
(2004) - et al.
Vitellogenin-a biomarker for endocrine disruptors
Trac. Trends Anal. Chem.
(1998) - et al.
The occurrence of xenoestrogens in the Elbe river and the North Sea
Chemosphere
(2001) - et al.
An improved method for the simultaneous analysis of phenolic and steroidal estrogens in water and sediment
Talanta
(2009)
Bisphenol A (BPA) in China: a review of sources, environmental levels, and potential human health impacts
Environ. Int.
Fish test for endocrine-disruption and estimation of water quality of Japanese rivers
Water Res.
Monitoring of environmental phenolic endocrine disrupting compounds in treatment effluents and river waters, Korea
Talanta
A simple and sensitive UFLC-fluorescence method for endocrine disrupters determination in marine waters
Talanta
Development of a solid-phase extraction system modified for preconcentration of emerging contaminants in large sample volumes from rivers of the lagoon system in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Mar. Pollut. Bull.
Biodegradation of nonylphenol polyethoxylates by denitrifying activated sludge
Water Res.
Isotope dilution-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method for the analysis of alkylphenols, bisphenol A, and estrogens in food crops
J. Chromatogr. A
Occurrence, distribution, and ecological-health risks of selected antibiotics in coastal waters along the coastline of China
Sci. Total Environ.
Occurrence and spatial distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea areas, China
Environ. Pollut.
Emerging contaminants in Indian environmental matrices – a review
Chemosphere
Cited by (37)
Coupling UV-radiation with immobilized bacteria for the removal of 17β-estradiol and 17 α-ethynylestradiol
2023, Journal of Water Process EngineeringComprehensive overview of antibiotic distribution, risk and priority: A study of large-scale drinking water sources from the lower Yangtze River
2023, Journal of Environmental Management