Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140894 |
| Title (Primary) | Emerging contaminants in sediments of a tributary to the Yangtze river in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area: Fate, ecological risk assessment, and prioritization for management |
| Author | Wang, J.; Wen, Y.; Shao, Y.; Schäffer, A.; Rojo-Nieto, E.; Schmitz, K.; Jahnke, A.
; Zervou, S.-K.; Hiskia, A.; Chen, Z. |
| Source Titel | Journal of Hazardous Materials |
| Year | 2026 |
| Department | EXPO |
| Volume | 502 |
| Page From | art. 140894 |
| Language | englisch |
| Topic | T9 Healthy Planet |
| Supplements | Supplement 1 |
| Keywords | Emerging contaminants; Sediment; Three Gorges Reservoir; Ecological risk; ToxPi prioritization |
| Abstract | Industrial
and agricultural expansion has led to widespread release of emerging
contaminants (ECs) into aquatic ecosystems, posing substantial risks to
environment and human health. This study investigated the fate,
ecological risk, and prioritization of phthalate esters (PAEs), per- and
polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), antibiotics, and pesticides in
sediments of the Pengxi River in China’s Three Gorges Reservoir.
Sediment samples from ten sites along the river’s upstream-downstream
gradient were analyzed as follow: PAEs by GC-MS, and PFAS, antibiotics,
and pesticides by LC-MS. Ecological risk was assessed using Risk
Quotients (RQ) and a multidimensional Toxicological Prioritization Index
(ToxPi) integrating persistence, bioaccumulation potential,
(eco)toxicity, concentration, detection frequency, and experimental
uncertainty. Total extractable concentrations spanned three orders of
magnitude, with PAEs being the most prevalent (133–993 ng∙g−1; mean: 466 ng·g⁻¹), substantially higher than antibiotics (4.32–12.4 ng∙g−1; mean: 7.8 ng·g⁻¹), PFAS (0.37–1.41 ng∙g−1; mean: 0.65 ng·g⁻¹), and pesticides (0.186–2.01 ng∙g−1;
mean: 0.47 ng·g⁻¹). ToxPi analysis identified PAEs as the
highest-priority contaminants due to their elevated concentrations,
persistence, and toxicity, followed by PFAS and antibiotics, whereas
pesticides posed the lowest risk in this specific study. In contrast,
the concentration-based RQ method, which relies solely on concentration
and ecotoxicity, identified only a few PAEs and pesticides as
medium-to-high risk. Consequently, the traditional RQ approach
underestimated risks of PFAS and antibiotics. The study demonstrates
ToxPi’s exceptional performance in integrating multifaceted data for
evidence-based prioritization. These findings provide a scalable
framework for risk assessment in other comparable riverine systems and
offer actionable insights to guide regulatory strategies targeting PAEs
and PFAS. |
| Wang, J., Wen, Y., Shao, Y., Schäffer, A., Rojo-Nieto, E., Schmitz, K., Jahnke, A., Zervou, S.-K., Hiskia, A., Chen, Z. (2026): Emerging contaminants in sediments of a tributary to the Yangtze river in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area: Fate, ecological risk assessment, and prioritization for management J. Hazard. Mater. 502 , art. 140894 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140894 |
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