Abstract
The lower reaches of the Yellow River is known for the rapid development of industry and agriculture, which has also led to some pollution. However, information about the level of toxic contaminants in the surface waters is lacking in this area. Therefore, five sampling points were set in the lower Yellow River to investigate the distribution of various pollutants and analyze the potential risks. The presence of heavy metals (Heavy metals tested for in this study were: Mercury (Hg), Arsenic (As), Copper (Cu), Chromium (Cr), and Zinc (Zn)) and antibiotics (Antibiotics tested for in this study were: Enrofloxacin (ENR), Ciprofloxacin (CIP), and Norfloxacin (NOR)) in water samples taken from the lower Yellow River were measured to reveal the spatial distribution and risk potential of the compounds. Various water quality parameters (Water quality parameters used in this study were: chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD5), total phosphorus (TP), and total nitrogen (TN)) were also tested. Study results showed the main surface water pollution components were COD, BOD5, TN, and TP. The average levels were 37.79 mg/L, 16.64 mg/L, 4.14 mg/L, and 0.42 mg/L, respectively. Among the detected metals from the water samples, Hg (LOD-0.1 μg/L) levels were only in line with the surface water class III or worse. Both fish and water samples contained antibiotics. According to an ecological risk assessment conducted along the river, the distribution of pollutants in the waters exhibited a spatial relationship with the land-use pattern in the study region and the Kenli site was the most polluted. Research shows that up-to-date data on the residual levels and distribution characteristics of pollutants in the lower Yellow River could provide valuable baseline data and technical support for relevant government departments and their management going forward.
Highlights
Rapid economic development contributes to deteriorating ecological environments in many countries and regions
Except for Hg, residual levels of heavy metals in all water samples were lower than the specified value at class I or II
Results showed heavy metal levels from each sample site met the common surface water standard (Class III, see Table 1), Hg levels should be continually observed in the future
Summary
Rapid economic development contributes to deteriorating ecological environments in many countries and regions. With the increasing intensity of human activities, increased discharge of environmental pollutants, such as heavy metals and organic pollutants, exacerbates this problem in natural water bodies [1,2,3]. The presence of pollutants is a cause for serious concern as they can have lasting impacts on the aquatic environment, which has become an important issue that influences ecological quality and the sustainable development of the social economy. In addition to heavy metals, antibiotics are a major threat to the ecological integrity of natural water bodies. Because of the generalized nature of antibiotics, adverse effects on ecological health have gradually attracted more attention [7]. The spatiotemporal distribution and potential environmental influences of antibiotics in surface water were not clearly understood until recently
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