| 11. |
- Bolinius, Dämien J., et al.
(författare)
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Evaluating the consumption of chemical products and articles as proxies for diffuse emissions to the environment
- 2018
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Ingår i: Environmental Science. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7887 .- 2050-7895. ; 20:10, s. 1427-1440
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this study we have evaluated the use of consumption of manufactured products (chemical products and articles) in the EU as proxies for diffuse emissions of chemicals to the environment. The content of chemical products is relatively well known. However, the content of articles (products defined by their shape rather than their composition) is less known and currently has to be estimated from chemicals that are known to occur in a small set of materials, such as plastics, that are part of the articles. Using trade and production data from Eurostat in combination with product composition data from a database on chemical content in materials (the Commodity Guide), we were able to calculate trends in the apparent consumption and in-use stocks for 768 chemicals in the EU for the period 2003-2016. The results showed that changes in the apparent consumption of these chemicals over time are smaller than in the consumption of corresponding products in which the chemicals are present. In general, our results suggest that little change in chemical consumption has occurred over the timespan studied, partly due to the financial crisis in 2008 which led to a sudden drop in the consumption, and partly due to the fact that each of the chemicals studied is present in a wide variety of products. Estimated in-use stocks of chemicals show an increasing trend over time, indicating that the mass of chemicals in articles in the EU, that could potentially be released to the environment, is increasing. The quantitative results from this study are associated with large uncertainties due to limitations of the available data. These limitations are highlighted in this study and further underline the current lack of transparency on chemicals in articles. Recommendations on how to address these limitations are also discussed.
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| 12. |
- Bruce, Peter, 1986-
(författare)
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A Deep Dive into Sediments : Exploring approaches to assess environmental risks and achieving environmental goals in management of contaminated sediments in Sweden
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Contaminated sediments are common, especially near urban and industrialized areas, and they can have negative ecological effects. In three studies, I explore the challenges for environmental management of contaminated sediments, focusing on environmental risk assessment (ERA) in Sweden. I investigate the scientific basis and ecological relevance of the knowledge that is produced in, and evaluated from, assessments. I then relate that knowledge to environmental goals set for general management, but also within individual assessments.Study I identified environmental goals set by society that ERA of contaminated sediment sites should address through a survey conducted among governmental agencies working with contaminated sediment. To investigate to what extent the practice of ERA addressed the goals which had been identified in the survey, the study also analyzed seven cases of ERA, from 2008-2015. Study II reviewed established strategies for assessing risks from contaminated sediments, from four countries. Then, with the ERAs included in study I, the Swedish ERA practice was characterized and contrasted to the review. Study III investigated to what extent dumping dredged sediment at sea was used as an alternative to manage dredged sediments. The study further investigated how courts, in 14 cases from 2015-2020, evaluated environmental risk when considering to allow dumping.The five environmental goals identified as most relevant focused on ecosystem services and management of environmental resources. While the ERAs occasionally addressed these goals, their priorities were not well aligned with that of the agencies (I). In studies II-III, the case-specific goals were not clearly addressed with the methods used. The results indicate that there is a focus on contaminant concentrations and sediment mobility. Four out of the seven ERAs in study II, and none in study III, measured potential effects from contaminants. The ERAs in study II surveyed benthic species and one conducted a toxicity test. When characterizing risk, there was also a frequent use of references not related to toxicity (II-III). Furthermore, uncertainties were not quantified and rarely discussed. Transparency was lacking regarding what weight individual types of measurements had in characterizing risk (II). In study III, sediment accumulation and contaminant concentrations were the decisive factors. However, in evaluating concentrations, the courts’ reasoning was inconsistent. The ERA practice in Sweden does not clearly produce the information needed to effectively characterize or evaluate risk in line with case specific or societal goals and risk underestimating the risks from contaminated sediments.Additional development and research could improve the capability to produce information for efficient management. Issues that should be addressed are, for example, requirements and guidance for designing case specific ERAs, including setting measurement and assessment endpoints in line with the ERA goals; additional types of measurement of contaminant effects; a system for criteria when characterizing risk; and requirements and guidance for how to consider future changes of site-specific conditions, such as climate change.This thesis highlights some of the potential and limitations in the Swedish practice to inspire management in how to incorporate existing best available methods as well as point to additional research needs.
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| 13. |
- Bruce, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Risk assessments of contaminated sediments from the perspective of weight of evidence strategies – a Swedish case study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Human and Ecological Risk Assessment. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1080-7039 .- 1549-7860. ; 27:5, s. 1366-1387
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several countries currently lack common recommendations specific to Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) of contaminated sediments and stakeholders report inconsistencies between currently used approaches. The objective of this study was to provide an increased understanding of how ERAs of contaminated sediments are conducted in comparison to established guidelines. For this, we use Sweden as a case study and compare seven ERAs with four internationally established strategies. Our results indicate that contaminant concentrations receive a comparatively high weight, despite a lack of appropriate benchmarks; toxicity measurements are uncommon, while routine in established strategies; and the integration and interpretation of results lack transparency. We identify three areas that may help improve the practice of ERAs: a common approach to benchmarks, recommendations for how to assess toxic effects, and a common approach for integrating and interpreting results.
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| 14. |
- Carrizo, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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Spatial Distributions of DDTs in the Water Masses of the Arctic Ocean
- 2017
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 51:14, s. 7913-7919
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is a scarcity of data on the amount and distribution of the organochlorine pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites in intermediate and deep ocean water masses. Here, the distribution and inventories of DDTs in water of the Arctic shelf seas and the interior basin are presented. The occurrence of Sigma 6DDT (0.10-66 pg L-1) in the surface water was dominated by 4,4'-DDE. In the Central Arctic Ocean increasing concentrations of DDE with depth were observed in the Makarov and Amundsen basins. The increasing concentrations down to 2500 m depth is in accordance with previous findings for PCBs and PBDEs. Similar concentrations of DDT and DDEs were found in the surface water, while the relative contribution of DDEs increased with depth, demonstrating a transformation over time and depth. Higher concentrations of DDTs were found in the European part of the Arctic Ocean; these distributions likely reflect a combination of different usage patterns, transport, and fate of these compounds. For instance, the elevated concentrations of DDTs in the Barents and Atlantic sectors of the Arctic Ocean indicate the northbound Atlantic current as a significant conveyor of DDTs. This study contributes to the very rare data on OCPs in the vast deep-water compartments and combined with surface water distribution across the Arctic Ocean helps to improve our understanding of the large-scale fate of DDTs in the Arctic.
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| 15. |
- Castro, Mafalda, et al.
(författare)
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Bioaccumulation Potential of CPs in Aquatic Organisms : Uptake and Depuration in Daphnia magna
- 2019
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 53:16, s. 9533-9541
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are industrial chemicals, subdivided into three categories: short chain (SCCPs), medium chain (MCCPs), and long chain (LCCPs) chlorinated paraffins. SCCPs are currently restricted in Europe and North America. MC and LCCPs are being used as substitution products, but there is a knowledge gap concerning their bioaccumulation potential in aquatic organisms. In this work, we performed laboratory bioconcentration (passive uptake) and bioaccumulation (including dietary uptake) experiments with Daphnia magna using five different CP technical substances. All tested CP technical substances were bioaccumulative in D. magna, with log BCF and log BAF values ranging between 6.7-7.0 and 6.5-7.0 (L kg lipid(-1)), respectively. An increase in carbon chain length and an increase in chlorine content (% w/w) of the CP technical substances had significant positive effects on the log BCF and log BAF values. For the different CP technical substances, 50% depuration was achieved after 2 to 10 h when D. magna were transferred to clean media. Our results show that SC, MC, and LCCPs are (very)bioaccumulative in aquatic organisms. We believe these data can aid the ongoing policy discussion concerning the environmental risk posed by CPs.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Castro, Mafalda
(författare)
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Chlorinated Paraffins: improved understanding of their bioaccumulation and toxicity in Daphnia magna
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are industrial chemicals, mainly used as flame retardants, plasticizers and metal cutting fluids. Their production has reached historically high levels in the last decade, with an annual production exceeding one million tonnes. In 2017, short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) were regulated due to their Persistent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic (PBT) properties, while medium and long chain chlorinated paraffins (MC and LCCPs) were suggested as alternatives. The high hydrophobicity of CPs, which complicates bioaccumulation and aquatic toxicity testing, has hindered proper hazard identification by regulatory authorities. This project was initiated in response to the insufficient understanding of bioaccumulative and toxicological properties of these chemicals, which have even surpassed the environmental levels of legacy Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in certain regions.The research presented in this thesis, contributes to filling these knowledge gaps by adapting methods for reliable bioaccumulation and aquatic toxicity assessment. In Paper I, passive dosing, traditionally used for other highly hydrophobic compounds, was adapted and validated for CPs. SC, MC and LCCPs partitioned from silicone into water and, when the crustacean Daphnia magna was introduced into the test system, the CPs were observed to be effectively taken up by the test organism. This passive-dosing approach was further used in Paper II, to investigate the bioconcentration and bioaccumulation potential in D. magna. All tested CPs were found to bioaccumulate in daphnids, including highly hydrophobic, long chained CP congeners. The two most bioaccumulative CPs in Paper II (CP-52 and Huels70C) were thereafter used in a chronic toxicity study (Paper III) and significantly decreased population growth and disrupted fatty acid metabolism of D. magna. Finally, in Paper IV, liposome-mediated delivery of chemicals to aquatic biota was adapted for the first time for organic contaminants, including CPs. This approach yielded stable body burdens of the tested chemicals in D. magna and allowed for kinetic and toxicity assessments.Overall, two alternative bioaccumulation and aquatic toxicity testing methods were successfully adapted for technically challenging (industrial) chemicals. These methods allowed the determination of endpoints of scientific and regulatory interest, such as the high bioaccumulation and toxicity potential of CPs, but were also used to demonstrate their metabolic disruption potential in small crustaceans.
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| 18. |
- Castro, Mafalda, et al.
(författare)
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Partitioning of Chlorinated Paraffins (CPs) to Daphnia magna Overlaps between Restricted and in-Use Categories
- 2018
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 52:17, s. 9713-9721
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are high-production volume industrial chemicals consisting of n-alkanes (with 10 to 30 carbon atoms in the chain) with chlorine content from 30 to 70% of weight. In Europe, the use of short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) has been restricted by the Stockholm Convention on POPs due to their PBT (persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic) properties. Medium (MCCPs) and long chain (LCCPs) chlorinated paraffins are used as substitution products. In this work we studied the partitioning behavior of five different CP technical mixtures from the established categories (2 SCCPs, 1 MCCP, 1 LCCP and 1 CP technical mixture covering all categories) using passive dosing, by determining the partitioning coefficient of CP technical mixtures between silicone and water (Ksilicone-water) as well as between organic matter and water (Koc-water). We show that both silicone-water and organic carbon water partition coefficients overlap between different categories of CP technical mixtures. These results indicate that in-use MCCPs and LCCPs may be equally or more bioaccumulative than restricted SCCPs. For the tested mixtures, both chlorine content and carbon chain length showed a significant correlation with both Ksilicone-water and Koc-water.
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- Coll, Claudia, et al.
(författare)
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Association between Aquatic Micropollutant Dissipation and River Sediment Bacterial Communities
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 54:22, s. 14380-14392
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Assessment of micropollutant biodegradation is essential to determine the persistence of potentially hazardous chemicals in aquatic ecosystems. We studied the dissipation half-lives of 10 micropollutants in sediment–water incubations (based on the OECD 308 standard) with sediment from two European rivers sampled upstream and downstream of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge. Dissipation half-lives (DT50s) were highly variable between the tested compounds, ranging from 1.5 to 772 days. Sediment from one river sampled downstream from the WWTP showed the fastest dissipation of all micropollutants after sediment RNA normalization. By characterizing sediment bacteria using 16S rRNA sequences, bacterial community composition of a sediment was associated with its capacity for dissipating micropollutants. Bacterial amplicon sequence variants of the genera Ralstonia, Pseudomonas, Hyphomicrobium, and Novosphingobium, which are known degraders of contaminants, were significantly more abundant in the sediment incubations where fast dissipation was observed. Our study illuminates the limitations of the OECD 308 standard to account for variation of dissipation rates of micropollutants due to differences in bacterial community composition. This limitation is problematic particularly for those compounds with DT50s close to regulatory persistence criteria. Thus, it is essential to consider bacterial community composition as a source of variability in regulatory biodegradation and persistence assessments.
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