Proposal for priority emerging pollutants in the Nakdong river, Korea: Application of EU watch list mechanisms

Sangyoon Lee; Younghun Choi; Daeho Kang; Junho Jeon

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122838

Proposal for priority emerging pollutants in the Nakdong river, Korea: Application of EU watch list mechanisms

Environ Pollut. 2024 Jan 15:341:122838. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122838. Epub 2023 Oct 31.

Authors

Sangyoon Lee¹, Younghun Choi², Daeho Kang¹, Junho Jeon³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Engineering, Changwon National University, Changwon, Gyeongsangnamdo, 51140, South Korea.
² Graduate School of FEED of Eco-Friendly Offshore Structure, Changwon National University, Changwon, Gyeongsangnamdo, 51140, South Korea; Water Environmental Safety Management Dept., Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water), 200 Sintanjin-ro, Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, 34350, South Korea.
³ Department of Environmental Engineering, Changwon National University, Changwon, Gyeongsangnamdo, 51140, South Korea; School of Smart and Green Engineering, Changwon National University, Changwon, Gyeongsangnamdo, 51140, South Korea. Electronic address: jjh0208@changwon.ac.kr.

PMID: 37918771
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122838

Abstract

The Nakdong River, the longest in Korea, has received numerous pollutants from heavily industrialized and densely populated areas while being used as a drinking water source. A number of research have reported occurrences of emerging pollutants (EPs) in the river. The results requested efficient monitoring and systematic management strategies such as EU watch list under Water Framework Directive. The aim of this study is to propose a watch list through preliminary monitoring of the river and risk-based prioritization approach. As candidates for monitoring target, 632 substances were selected based on literature and database searches. Among them, 175 substances were subjected to target screening method whereas 457 were evaluated via suspect screening. A risk-based prioritization was applied to substances quantified through target screening based on concentrations, and a scoring-based prioritization was applied to substances tentatively identified through suspect screening. Sampling campaigns (n = 12) were conducted from October 2020 to September 2021, at 8 sampling sites along the river. As a result, 130 target substances were quantified above the LOQ. Among the 21 substances whose priority score was assigned through risk-based prioritization, telmisartan and iprobenfos were identified with very high environmental risk while candesartan, TBEP, imidacloprid, azithromycin and clotrimazole were classified with high or intermediate risk. As result of the scoring system for 39 tentatively identified substances, 6 substances (benzophenone, caprolactam, metolachlor oxanilic acid, heptaethylene glycol, octaethylene glycol and pentaethylene glycol), which were then confirmed with reference standards, showed a potential environmental risk. Those substances prioritized through target and suspect screening followed by scoring systems can be a subset for the watch list and potential targets for nationwide water quality monitoring program in the future.

Keywords: LC-HRMS; Nakdong river; Pesticides; Pharmaceuticals; Prioritization; Risk assessment.

MeSH terms

Environmental Monitoring
Environmental Pollutants*
Glycols
Republic of Korea
Rivers
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Water Pollutants, Chemical
Environmental Pollutants
Glycols