Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Vanessa Hinnenkamp, Peter Balsaa, Torsten C. Schmidt
Summary: The anthropogenic input of organic micropollutants into water bodies poses a risk for drinking water safety. Comprehensive screening analyses are essential to monitor water quality effectively, with non-target screening offering a more thorough investigation than target analysis alone. This study utilized UPLC-IM-HRMS in a combined approach to identify known and unknown substances in a drinking water production process, highlighting the importance of comprehensive water monitoring strategies.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Heon-Jun Lee, Jeong-Eun Oh
Summary: This study aimed to develop a target and suspect screening method using LC-HRMS to identify new psychoactive substances (NPS) in wastewater samples. A database of 95 traditional and NPS was built, and an analytical method was developed. Analysis of wastewater samples from 29 treatment plants identified 14 substances, including 3 NPS and 11 traditional psychoactive substances. This study highlights the need for continuous monitoring of NPS in South Korea.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Naomi Reymond, Erik Emke, Thea Boucheron, Thomas ter Laak, Pim de Voogt, Pierre Esseiva, Frederic Been
Summary: This study used high-resolution mass spectrometry data to detect markers of MDMA and amphetamine production in wastewater samples from the Netherlands, identifying 28 potential production markers that could help detect waste in sewer systems.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
N. Lopez-Herguedas, B. Gonzalez-Gaya, N. Castelblanco-Boyaca, A. Rico, N. Etxebarria, M. Olivares, A. Prieto, O. Zuloaga
Summary: Interest in contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) has grown due to their continuous release and potential ecological hazards. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are unable to effectively remove these contaminants, leading to their entry into aquatic environments. Comprehensive analysis techniques have been applied to characterize the CEC profile in WWTP effluents, revealing seasonal and spatial variations in the composition and levels of CECs. Risk assessment identified specific compounds with high risks to different aquatic organisms, highlighting the importance of improving removal efficiency in urban WWTPs and implementing stricter regulations for environmental protection.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ingus Perkons, Janis Rusko, Dzintars Zacs, Vadims Bartkevics
Summary: The study successfully detected APIs and their transformation products in wastewater using high-resolution mass spectrometry, with the most frequently detected compounds being anti-inflammatory drugs, beta-blockers, and antihypertensive drugs, as well as their metabolites. The results of the study were consistent with national consumption statistics and the origins of wastewater samples.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Younghun Choi, Ji-Ho Lee, Kyunghyun Kim, Hyunsaing Mun, Naree Park, Junho Jeon
Summary: The study identified 72 substances, including 4 RRSs and 22 URSs, in effluents from water treatment plants in Gumi and Daegu, Korea. Benzotriazole and metformin were predominant in Gumi's effluents, while niflumic acid and tramadol were major components in Daegu's effluents. Priorities were given to telmisartan, PFOA, and cimetidine based on risk relevant parameters, but some priorities were area specific, reflecting differences in industry profiles and populations. Many of the identified substances were recognized as potential hazards, emphasizing the need for constant monitoring and management.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yunsun Jeong, Katyeny Manuela Da Silva, Elias Iturrospe, Yukiko Fuiji, Tim Boogaerts, Alexander L. N. van Nuijs, Jeremy Koelmel, Adrian Covaci
Summary: With the increasing concern over the health risks of PFAS, the identification and investigation of these substances is of great importance. This study conducted a comprehensive investigation of both legacy and emerging PFAS in wastewater treatment plants in Belgium, using various screening methods. The results revealed the presence of different types of PFAS compounds in different locations, with Deurne wastewater treatment plant and its surrounding area showing a higher risk of PFAS exposure.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chen Wu, Qi Wang, Hao Chen, Mengyan Li
Summary: A rapid analytical method combining nano-electrospray ionization and high-resolution mass spectrometry (Nano-ESI-HRMS) was developed for the detection of PFASs in water. AFFFs and wastewater were found to be the main sources of ultrashort-chain PFASs.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sarah A. Brecht, Xiang Kong, Damian Shea, Xin Rui Xia, Elizabeth Guthrie Nichols
Summary: Water scarcity increases the risk of irrigating food crops with wastewater, which may lead to potential dietary risks from organic chemical uptake. This study used high resolution mass spectrometry to assess the uptake of chemicals in soybean plants exposed to different irrigation sources. The results showed that wastewater-irrigated soybeans had the lowest levels of organic chemicals in plant tissues, but higher levels were found in the passive samplers.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Varvara Nikolopoulou, Akinranti S. Ajibola, Reza Aalizadeh, Nikolaos S. Thomaidis
Summary: Currently, there is a lack of scientific data on the analysis and occurrence of emerging contaminants in sewage sludge in Africa. This study comprehensively investigated the presence of European Union priority substances and a wide range of emerging contaminants in sewage sludge samples from three different wastewater treatment plants in Lagos, Nigeria. Liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry was used for identification. A total of 250 compounds were identified, with 182 compounds quantified. Among these compounds, 78 showed high environmental risk scores based on provisional no-effect concentrations values and environmental quality data. Pharmaceuticals, particularly from hospital wastewater treatment plants, accounted for most of the detected contaminants at high concentrations. The study also proposed three simple factors to prioritize these substances in future monitoring campaigns.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lisbet Sorensen, Sonja Schaufelberger, Amaia Igartua, Trond R. Storseth, Ida Beathe overjordet
Summary: Limited knowledge exists on the presence of 'contaminants of emerging concern' in Arctic marine biota, especially in lower trophic species. This study used a novel pipeline to investigate contaminants in benthic and pelagic low-trophic organisms collected in Kongsfjorden in Svalbard. Analysis revealed the presence of various compounds, including plastic additives, antioxidants, antimicrobials, flame retardants, insecticides, and pharmaceuticals. Both legacy and emerging contaminants were quantified in several species, raising concerns about their potential detrimental effects and potential sources in the Arctic environment.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jingrun Hu, Yitao Lyu, Huan Chen, Si Li, Weiling Sun
Summary: Antibiotic transformation products (TPs) in wastewater treatment plants have been identified using a high-resolution mass spectrometry method. The study found 211 compounds, including 35 parent antibiotics and 176 TPs. The TPs were estimated to be more persistent, mobile, and toxic than their parent antibiotics. The tertiary treatment process reduced the concentrations and risks of antibiotic-related compounds.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Lelouda-Athanasia Koronaiou, Christina Nannou, Nikoletta Xanthopoulou, Georgia Seretoudi, Dimitrios Bikiaris, Dimitra A. Lambropoulou
Summary: A streamlined analytical workflow for the quantitation and suspect screening of PFASs was developed, with excellent performance in terms of method validation and sample analysis. The workflow was successfully applied to real samples, allowing for confident putative annotation of PFASs in various matrices.
MICROCHEMICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anthi Panara, Evagelos Gikas, Ilias Tzavellas, Nikolaos S. Thomaidis
Summary: Antioxidants are important for human health and the development of products with antioxidant activity has become prominent. A local industry has created new antioxidant drinks using pomegranate, blackberries, red grapes, and aronia. LC-qTOFMS was used to characterize the drinks' constituents, with suspect and target screening conducted using a modified MS-DIAL workflow. Compounds with potential antioxidant capacity, such as flavonoids, amino acids, and fatty acids, were identified, highlighting the significance of the drinks and the efficacy of the workflow developed.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Yanli Man, Wei Wang, Liangang Mao, Lizhen Zhu, Yanning Zhang, Lan Zhang, Hongyun Jiang, Xingang Liu
Summary: This study investigated the degradation of kresoxim-methyl (KM), a fungicide, in three typical agricultural soils from China. The results showed that KM could rapidly degrade in different soils with different degradation kinetics. Four transformation products (TPs) were identified, and the degradation pathways of KM were proposed. The toxicity evaluation indicated that some TPs may have greater toxicity than the original compound.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Barbara F. Gunthardt, Felix E. Wettstein, Juliane Hollender, Heinz Singer, Jana Harri, Martin Scheringer, Konrad Hungerbuhler, Thomas D. Bucheli
Summary: Research has shown that pyrrolizidine alkaloids emitted into the environment by various plant species can lead to contamination of water bodies, with their occurrence in surface waters largely unknown. Swiss streams were found to be contaminated with multiple PAs, with certain plant species tentatively identified as the sources of contamination.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Verena C. Schreiner, Moritz Link, Stefan Kunz, Eduard Szoecs, Andreas Scharmueller, Bernadette Vogler, Birgit Beck, Karina P. Battes, Mirela Cimpean, Heinz P. Singer, Juliane Hollender, Ralf B. Schaefer
Summary: Pesticide contamination in streams of low intensity agriculture areas in Romania was found to be similar to that of high intensity agriculture regions, despite lower reported pesticide usage. The toxicity of pesticides towards invertebrates was positively correlated with large scale variables, while no relationship was found with algae toxicity.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Birge D. Ozel Duygan, Kai M. Udert, Annette Remmele, Christa S. McArdell
Summary: The study found that the combination of nitrification and activated carbon treatment is effective in removing pharmaceuticals from urine, enabling the production of a safe fertilizer with low pharmaceutical concentrations and high nutrient content.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Karin Kiefer, Letian Du, Heinz Singer, Juliane Hollender
Summary: This study comprehensively investigated organic micropollutants in Swiss groundwater using LC-HRMS/MS technology, revealing many unexplained concentrations of potential pollutants and identifying new compounds. Source-related prioritization proved to be an effective approach for compound identification in groundwater.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jennifer E. Schollee, Juliane Hollender, Christa S. McArdell
Summary: The study evaluated different wastewater treatment setups for the removal of micropollutants using high-resolution mass spectrometry data. Results showed that biological treatment effectively removed most non-target features and industrial features, while advanced treatment could remove an additional portion of non-target features and was crucial for the abatement of certain known micropollutants.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Rebekka Gulde, Moreno Rutsch, Baptiste Clerc, Jennifer E. Schollee, Urs von Gunten, Christa S. McArdell
Summary: Ozonation is increasingly used for the treatment of micropollutants in water and wastewater, but the fate of transformation products formed during ozonation and their behavior in biological or sorptive post-treatments is still largely unknown. In this study, a high-throughput approach combining laboratory ozonation experiments and LC-HR-MS/MS detection was developed to identify these transformation products for a total of 87 relevant micropollutants. A screening of signals formed in both batch experiments and wastewater treatment plant samples enabled the identification of 84 relevant transformation products, 48 of which had not been reported before. Their fate in different post-treatment steps was also investigated.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Michael A. Stravs, Christian Stamm, Christoph Ort, Heinz Singer
Summary: This study presents a transportable platform capable of tracking a wide range of chemicals in the aquatic environment with high temporal resolution over extended time periods. The system can quantify pollutants with high sensitivity and has demonstrated insights into pollutant dynamics and potential applications in pollutant management and epidemiology.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jangwoo Lee, Feng Ju, Ayella Maile-Moskowitz, Karin Beck, Andreas Maccagnan, Christa S. McArdell, Marco Dal Molin, Fabrizio Fenicia, Peter J. Vikesland, Amy Pruden, Christian Stamm, Helmut Buergmann
Summary: This study tracked the fate of the resistome in treated wastewater in two Swiss rivers using a comprehensive analysis and found that wastewater-origin ARG did not persist in rivers after 5-6.8 km downstream. The potential for direct human exposure to the resistome of wastewater-origin appeared to typically abate rapidly in the studied rivers.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Rebekka Gulde, Baptiste Clerc, Moreno Rutsch, Jakob Helbing, Elisabeth Salhi, Christa S. McArdell, Urs von Gunten
Summary: This study investigated the impact of ozonation and biological sand filtration on transformation products of micropollutants with varying ozone-reactive moieties spiked into lake water. The results showed that most transformation products were not easily abated in the biological post-treatment, and the behavior of some products remains unknown.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Cornelia Kienle, Inge Werner, Stephan Fischer, Christina Luthi, Andrea Schifferli, Harrie Besselink, Miriam Langer, Christa S. McArdell, Etienne L. M. Vermeirssen
Summary: Ozonation can effectively eliminate micropollutants in wastewater, but it may also produce reactive and potentially toxic transformation products. Additional post-treatments are recommended to further remove these products. The study found that ozonation reduced ecotoxicological effects, and post-treatments further reduced these effects. Rainbow trout liver gene expression and algal photosynthesis were sensitive indicators for evaluating the treatment efficiency.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sabine Anliker, Sergio Santiago, Kathrin Fenner, Heinz Singer
Summary: This study assesses the impact of chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing (CPM) wastewaters on synthetic organic contaminant (SOC) emissions to Swiss surface waters. The effluents of different WWTPs treating CPM wastewaters exhibit varying characteristics, potentially influencing water quality. The variability in industrial emissions highlights the importance of specific monitoring and mitigation strategies to address potential risks.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hiba Mohammed Taha, Reza Aalizadeh, Nikiforos Alygizakis, Jean-Philippe Antignac, Hans Peter H. Arp, Richard Bade, Nancy Baker, Lidia Belova, Lubertus Bijlsma, Evan E. Bolton, Werner Brack, Alberto Celma, Wen-Ling Chen, Tiejun Cheng, Parviel Chirsir, L'ubos Cirka, Lisa A. D'Agostino, Yannick Djoumbou Feunang, Valeria Dulio, Stellan Fischer, Pablo Gago-Ferrero, Aikaterini Galani, Birgit Geueke, Natalia Glowacka, Juliane Gluge, Ksenia Groh, Sylvia Grosse, Peter Haglund, Pertti J. Hakkinen, Sarah E. Hale, Felix Hernandez, Elisabeth M-L Janssen, Tim Jonkers, Karin Kiefer, Michal Kirchner, Jan Koschorreck, Martin Krauss, Jessy Krier, Marja H. Lamoree, Marion Letzel, Thomas Letzel, Qingliang Li, James Little, Yanna Liu, David M. Lunderberg, Jonathan W. Martin, Andrew D. McEachran, John A. McLean, Christiane Meier, Jeroen Meijer, Frank Menger, Carla Merino, Jane Muncke, Matthias Muschket, Michael Neumann, Vanessa Neveu, Kelsey Ng, Herbert Oberacher, Jake O'Brien, Peter Oswald, Martina Oswaldova, Jaqueline A. Picache, Cristina Postigo, Noelia Ramirez, Thorsten Reemtsma, Justin Renaud, Pawel Rostkowski, Heinz Ruedel, Reza M. Salek, Saer Samanipour, Martin Scheringer, Ivo Schliebner, Wolfgang Schulz, Tobias Schulze, Manfred Sengl, Benjamin A. Shoemaker, Kerry Sims, Heinz Singer, Randolph R. Singh, Mark Sumarah, Paul A. Thiessen, Kevin Thomas, Sonia Torres, Xenia Trier, Annemarie P. van Wezel, Roel C. H. Vermeulen, Jelle J. Vlaanderen, Peter C. von der Ohe, Zhanyun Wang, Antony J. Williams, Egon L. Willighagen, David S. Wishart, Jian Zhang, Nikolaos S. Thomaidis, Juliane Hollender, Jaroslav Slobodnik, Emma L. Schymanski
Summary: The NORMAN Suspect List Exchange (NORMAN-SLE) is a global chemical information resource that hosts valuable suspect screening lists for the environmental community. It contains 99 separate lists from over 70 contributors, totaling over 100,000 unique substances. The NORMAN-SLE allows integration with other major chemical resources, fostering the exchange of information and supporting the paradigm shift to a one substance, one assessment approach.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES EUROPE
(2022)
Editorial Material
Engineering, Environmental
Carolin Seller, Laura Varga, Elizabeth Borgardts, Bernadette Vogler, Elisabeth Janssen, Heinz Singer, Kathrin Fenner, Mark Honti
Summary: Identifying the biotransformation potential of chemicals in the aquatic environment is crucial for predicting their fate and managing their hazards. This study compared laboratory simulation studies with field measurements of compound loads in the Rhine river basin and found some differences in absolute values, but reasonable agreement in relative rankings and persistence categories between the two approaches.
Article
Water Resources
Daniele la Cecilia, Anne Dax, Heinz Ehmann, Margie Koster, Heinz Singer, Christian Stamm
Summary: Plant protection products (PPPs) pose a threat to surface water quality worldwide, and the exposure patterns of PPPs and transformation products (TPs) in small streams during dry periods are understudied. This knowledge gap can lead to ineffective monitoring strategies for addressing water quality issues.
FRONTIERS IN WATER
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
D. la Cecilia, A. Dax, H. Ehmann, M. Koster, H. Singer, C. Stamm
Summary: Synthetic Plant Protection Products (PPPs) play a crucial role in global food systems, but their transport to water bodies poses negative effects on aquatic ecosystems. The study of high-frequency PPPs and TPs concentration time-series has revealed unexpected and overlooked pesticide dynamics, highlighting the importance of further research and monitoring in this area. The variability in timing of concentration peaks relative to water level calls for more in-depth analyses on transport mechanisms and the need for spatially distributed sampling and PPPs application data time-series.