Abstract
The Kadicha river basin in Northern Lebanon is an illustrative example of multiple pressures encountered in the Mediterranean region: it is a small coastal river affected by rapid urbanization, population growth (drastically impacted by the influx of Syrian refugees), and a chronic default of wastewater treatment. In this context, multiple classes of contaminants may attain the river accumulating in sediment. However, very little information is available in the literature on the contamination status in such stressed Mediterranean contexts. This study proposed a first contamination evaluation of a small Mediterranean river submitted to multiple pressures. Two sediment sampling campaigns along sites impacted by increasing urban gradient within the Kadicha river basin were performed to determine the occurrence and the environmental risks of both emerging and legacy contaminants. The results revealed the detection of the 41 studied compounds. The highest concentrations were attained by PAHs and polycyclic musks (up to 311.79, 94.22, and 81.13 ng/g of dry weight for PAH, cashmeran, and galaxolide, respectively). The discontinuous urbanized upstream area and the estuary were the most contaminated areas of the river. An environmental risk assessment showed a hazard quotient (HQ) higher than 1 for both legacy and emerging compounds (EHMC and 4-MBC), indicating a potential risk to benthic species. Monitoring campaigns and implementation of wastewater treatment plants should be encouraged as the anthropogenic pressure on small Mediterranean rivers will increase over the years.
Highlights
The Mediterranean basin region has been affected for millennia by human activities
The Kadicha river basin in Northern Lebanon is an illustrative example of multiple pressures encountered in the Mediterranean region: it is a small coastal river affected by rapid urbanization, population growth, and a chronic default of wastewater treatment
The total PAHs concentration calculated as the addition of the 16 studied PAHs ranged from 53.49 to 311.79 ng/g d.w. and the total PCBs concentration calculated as the addition of PCB 52, PCB 101, PCB 153, PCB 138, and PCB 180 ranged from 0.91 ng/g to 11.11 ng/g d.w
Summary
The Mediterranean basin region has been affected for millennia by human activities. Today, the Mediterranean basin suffers from disturbances derived from agriculture, livestock, industrial practices, and human population growth. Small Mediterranean rivers contribute to the pollution, especially where population density is high, causing environmental and health risks in river watersheds and bringing to the sea the contamination occurring in the coastal area (Kolpin et al, 2004; Nicolau et al, 2012). All these anthropogenic activities within small Mediterranean watersheds were associated with the releasing of different pollutants, known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and emerging pollutants. POPs (e.g. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)) have been monitored and regulated in most parts of the world for the last decades, that’s why they are referred to as “legacy contaminants”
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