Micropollutants but high risks: Human multiple stressors increase risks of freshwater ecosystems at the megacity-scale

Miao Chen; Xiaowei Jin; Changsheng Guo; Yang Liu; Heng Zhang; Junxia Wang; Guihua Dong; Na Liu; Wei Guo; John P Giesy; Fengchang Wu; Jian Xu

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132497

Micropollutants but high risks: Human multiple stressors increase risks of freshwater ecosystems at the megacity-scale

J Hazard Mater. 2023 Oct 15:460:132497. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132497. Epub 2023 Sep 7.

Authors

Miao Chen¹, Xiaowei Jin², Changsheng Guo³, Yang Liu³, Heng Zhang³, Junxia Wang⁴, Guihua Dong⁴, Na Liu³, Wei Guo⁵, John P Giesy⁶, Fengchang Wu³, Jian Xu⁷

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
² China National Environmental Monitoring Centre, Beijing 100012, China. Electronic address: jinxw@cnemc.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
⁴ China National Environmental Monitoring Centre, Beijing 100012, China.
⁵ Beijing Hydrological Center, Beijing 100089, China.
⁶ Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences and Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3, Canada; Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48895, USA; Department of Environmental Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7266, USA.
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China. Electronic address: xujian@craes.org.cn.

PMID: 37688870
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132497

Abstract

Micropollutants in water environments have attracted widespread attention, but how human and natural stressors influence the risks of micropollutants has not been comprehensively revealed. A megacity-scale study of the ecological risks of micropollutants in the surface water of Beijing, China is presented to illustrate the magnitudes of the influences of multiple anthropogenic and natural stressors. A total of 133 micropollutants representing typical land use patterns in Beijing, were quantified with the mean concentration range of ND (not detected) to 272 ng·L^-1. The micropollutant concentrations in the south were obviously higher than those detected in the northern areas, and neonicotinoid pesticides showed the highest mean concentration of 311 ng·L^-1. The chronic and acute risks of micropollutants to algae, invertebrates, and fishes were determined, and herbicides, organophosphorus esters, and insecticides account for the primary risks to algae, invertebrates, and fishes, respectively. The cropland and impervious cover cause the differences in the pollution and risks of micropollutants. The land use in riparian zones greater than 2 km shows a great influence on the chronic chemical risks (CCRs) for the three groups of species, indicating that too local scale does not explain the local pollution status. Climate conditions and human land use are important drivers explaining the CCRs to which various trophic levels of species are exposed. Results demonstrate that multiple categories of micropollutants pose adverse risks to freshwater in the megacity of Beijing, while climate conditions, pollution discharge, and human land use induce the chemical risk of micropollutants to aquatic organisms, and the land use in different riparian zones show different effects on the risks.

Keywords: Chemical risk; Climate conditions; Human land use; Micropollutants; Multiple stressors.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Beijing
Body Fluids*
Ecosystem*
Fresh Water
Humans
Water

Substances

Water