Quinolone distribution, trophodynamics, and human exposure risk in a transit-station lake for water diversion in east China

Yuanyuan Liu; Zulin Hua; Ying Lu; Li Gu; Chengmei Luan; Xiaoqing Li; Jianyi Wu; Kejian Chu

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119985

Quinolone distribution, trophodynamics, and human exposure risk in a transit-station lake for water diversion in east China

Environ Pollut. 2022 Oct 15:311:119985. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119985. Epub 2022 Aug 16.

Authors

Yuanyuan Liu¹, Zulin Hua¹, Ying Lu¹, Li Gu¹, Chengmei Luan², Xiaoqing Li¹, Jianyi Wu¹, Kejian Chu³

Affiliations

¹ Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, PR China; Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, PR China.
² Jiangsu Province Hydrology and Water Resources Investigation Bureau, Nanjing, 210098, PR China.
³ Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, PR China; Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, PR China. Electronic address: kejianc@hhu.edu.cn.

PMID: 35985438
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119985

Abstract

Quinolone antibiotics (QNs) pollution in lake environments is increasingly raising public concern due to their potential combined toxicity and associated risks. However, the spatiotemporal distribution and trophodynamics of QNs in transit-station lakes for water diversion are not well documented or understood. In this study, a comprehensive investigation of QNs in water, sediment, and aquatic fauna, including norfloxacin (NOR), ciprofloxacin (CIP), enrofloxacin (ENR), and ofloxacin (OFL), was conducted in Luoma Lake, a major transit station for the eastern route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China. The target QNs were widely distributed in the water (∑QNs: 70.12 ± 62.79 ng/L) and sediment samples (∑QNs: 13.35 ± 10.78 ng/g dw) in both the non-diversion period (NDP) and the diversion period (DP), where NOR and ENR were predominant. All the QNs were detected in all biotic samples in DP (∑QNs: 80.04 ± 20.59 ng/g dw). The concentration of ∑QNs in the water in NDP was significantly higher than those in DP, whereas the concentration in the sediments in NDP was comparable to those in DP. ∑QNs in the water-sediment system exhibited decreasing trends from northwest (NW) to southeast (SE) in both periods; however, the K_oc (organic carbon normalized partition coefficients) of individual QNs in DP sharply rose compared with those in NDP, which indicated that water diversion would alter the environmental fate of QNs in Luoma Lake. In DP, all QNs, excluding NOR, were all biodiluted across the food web; whereas their bioaccumulation potentials in the SE subregion were higher than those in the NW subregion, which was in contrast to the spatial distribution of their exposure concentrations. The estimated daily QN intakes via drinking water and aquatic products suggested that residents in the SE side were exposed to greater health risks, despite less aquatic pollution in the region.

Keywords: Bioaccumulation; Biomagnification; Health risk assessment; Quinolones; Spatiotemporal distribution; Transit-station lake.

MeSH terms

China
Environmental Monitoring
Geologic Sediments
Humans
Norfloxacin
Quinolones* / analysis
Risk Assessment
Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Quinolones
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Water
Norfloxacin