Chemicals of emerging concern in coastal aquifers: Assessment along the land-ocean interface

Daniel Gutiérrez-Martín; Rubén Gil-Solsona; Maarten W Saaltink; Valentí Rodellas; Rebeca López-Serna; Albert Folch; Jesús Carrera; Pablo Gago-Ferrero

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.130876

Chemicals of emerging concern in coastal aquifers: Assessment along the land-ocean interface

J Hazard Mater. 2023 Apr 15:448:130876. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.130876. Epub 2023 Jan 26.

Authors

Daniel Gutiérrez-Martín¹, Rubén Gil-Solsona², Maarten W Saaltink³, Valentí Rodellas⁴, Rebeca López-Serna⁵, Albert Folch³, Jesús Carrera⁶, Pablo Gago-Ferrero⁷

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), CSIC, Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
² Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), CSIC, Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: ruben.gil@idaea.csic.es.
³ Associated Unit: Hydrogeology Group (UPC-CSIC), Spain Department of Civil and Environment, Spain; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DECA), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Jordi Girona 1-3, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
⁴ Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambiental, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.
⁵ Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain; Institute of Sustainable Processes, Dr. Mergelina s/n, Valladolid 47011, Spain.
⁶ Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), CSIC, Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; Associated Unit: Hydrogeology Group (UPC-CSIC), Spain Department of Civil and Environment, Spain.
⁷ Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), CSIC, Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: pablo.gago@idaea.csic.es.

PMID: 36736215
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.130876

Abstract

Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) is recognized as a relevant source of pollutants to the sea, but little is known about its relevance as a source of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs). Here, both the presence and distribution of a wide range of CECs have been evaluated in the most comprehensive manner to date, in a well-characterized Mediterranean coastal aquifer near Barcelona (Spain). Samples from coastal groundwater and seawater allowed for the unique spatial characterization of the pollutants present in the land-ocean interface, an outstanding research gap that required attention. The main goals were (1) to determine CECs in the aquifer, so as to evaluate the SGD as a relevant source of marine pollution, and (2) to identify new tracers to improve our understanding of SGD dynamics. To this end, 92 CECs were located in the aquifer by using wide-scope analytical target methodologies (>2000 chemicals). Among them, the perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), along with the pharmaceuticals carbamazepine and topiramate, were revealed to be good markers for tracing anthropogenic contamination in ground- and seawater, in concrete situations (e.g., highly contaminated sites). Additionally, non-target analysis expanded the number of potential tracers, making it a promising tool for identifying both the source and the fate of pollutants.

Keywords: Coastal aquifer; Emerging pollutants; High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS); Non-target analysis; Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD).