Occurrence Of Organic Contaminants Research Articles

Dataset of pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products occurrence in wetlands of Saudi Arabia.

The data set presents the occurrence of 59 currently used pesticides (CUPs) and 33 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), from wetland areas, in Saudi Arabia, impacted by wastewater discharge. Wetlands are valuable ecosystems, but are very fragile and easily affected by anthropogenic pressure [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]. The occurrence of organic contaminants provides understanding about their fate and possible risk for humans and environment. Up to our knowledge, this is the first report on the occurrence of the mentioned organic pollutants in shallow lakes in Saudi Arabia, and the first time these compounds are analyzed in wild flora. Samples of water, sediment, soil and plants were extracted via ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) and solid phase extraction (SPE). The compounds determination was performed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Interpretation and discussion of the present dataset can be found in the article entitled “Pharmaceuticals, pesticides, personal care products and microplastics contamination assessment of Al-Hassa irrigation network (Saudi Arabia) and its shallow lakes”[1].

Occurrence of organic compounds in groundwater of Saudi Arabia.

The presence of organic compounds in drinking water is well recognized in many developing countries; however, the occurrence of organic contaminants in the groundwater of Saudi Arabia, which is the main source of drinking water in the country, is not well documented. A national comprehensive study was carried out to assess the occurrence of organic compounds in groundwater wells used for drinking water purpose, in different regions of Saudi Arabia. A total of 993 well water samples were collected from all 13 administrative regions of the kingdom. Samples were analyzed for a total of 131 organic compounds using the standard methods. The results indicated that total organic carbon values were in the range of 0.01 to 84.13 mg/L with an average weighted value of 12.61 mg/L. Organic compounds were detected in only 9 regions, with 19.84% of the samples containing organic compounds. Only 96 wells (9.67%) showed contents of organic compounds above the safe limits. Pesticides were not detected in any of the well water samples. Overall, organic compounds were found in only 197 out of 993 wells (19.84%) in the whole country. Most of the wells containing organic compounds were located in residential, industrial, and agriculture areas. Riyadh region and Eastern Province were found to have the most affected wells as compared to other regions. Several regions did not show any organic compounds in the well waters.It can be said that the problem of groundwater contamination with organic compounds in Saudi Arabia is not acute and is manageable at present. It is, however, recommended that a regular monitoring of drinking water wells of all regions should be carried out by the competent authorities for organic compounds to know any contamination if and when it happens. Preventing such contaminants from reaching drinking water sources and protecting drinking water well heads from such contaminants remains a priority.

Multifunctional Au NPs-polydopamine-polyvinylidene fluoride membrane chips as probe for enrichment and rapid detection of organic contaminants

High-throughput and rapid detection of hazardous compounds in complicated samples is essential for the solution of environmental problems. We have prepared a “pH-paper-like” chip which can rapidly “indicate” the occurrence of organic contaminants just through dipping the chip in water samples for short time followed by fast analysis with surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SALDI-TOF MS). The chips are composed of polyvinylidene fluoride membrane (PVDFM), polydopamine (PDA) film and Au nanoparticles (Au NPs), which are layer-by-layer assembled according to the adhesion, self-polymerization and reduction property of dopamine. In the Au NPs loaded polydopamine-polyvinylidene fluoride membrane (Au NPs-PDA-PVDFM) chips, PVDFM combined with PDA film are responsible for the enrichment of organic analyte through hydrophobic interactions and π–π stacking; Au NPs serve as effective SALDI matrix for the rapid detection of target analyte. After dipping into water solution for minutes, the Au-PDA-PVDFM chips with enriched organic analytes can be detected directly with SALDI-TOF MS. The good solid-phase extraction performance of the PDA-PVDFM components, remarkable matrix effect of the loaded AuNPs, and sensitivity of the SALDI-TOF MS technique ensure excellent sensitivity and reproducibility for the quantification of trace levels of organic contaminants in environmental water samples.

The occurrence of organic contaminants in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in Poland: An environmental quality assessment

The objective of the present study was to provide information on the levels of pollutants in the tissues of eels caught in Polish waters. The contaminants included in the study are those which have not yet been widely studied in eel stocks, but which arouse concern in relation to the environment. An overview of the pollutant levels in eels caught in other European waters was also conducted. The results are evaluated in terms of environmental quality and consumer health. The mean concentrations of ΣPBDEs and ΣHBCDs in muscles of eels sampled in Polish waters were between 1 and 2ngg−1 ww. The mean TBT concentrations were between 2 and 4ngg−1ww with the exception of samples from the Szczecin Lagoon, in which the mean TBT concentration was about tenfold higher.

Occurrence of organic contaminants in sewage sludges from eleven wastewater treatment plants, China

This study presents the occurrence of 43 semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) listed as priority pollutants by both China and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, in sewage sludges collected from eleven wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of mainland and Hong Kong, China. Thirty-six SVOCs were detected by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometer (GC-MS) and at least 14 in each sample. The most abundant compounds were phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with total concentrations ranging from 10 to 114mgkg(-1) dry weight (d.w.) (with a mean of 30mgkg(-1) d.w.) and from 1.4 to 33mgkg(-1)d.w. (with a mean of 16mgkg(-1) d.w.), respectively, followed by chlorobenzenes, nitroaromatics, haloethers and halogenated hydrocarbons which occurred generally at concentrations lower than 10mgkg(-1) d.w. Large variations were observed between the concentrations of individual compounds as well as their total concentrations in sludge samples from different WWTPs. The highest values of sum concentration of 16 PAHs and of 6 PAEs were found in sewage sludge from Beijing. The mean total concentration of each class of SVOCs in sewage sludge from mainland was remarkably higher than that from Hong Kong. The concentrations of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in 91% sludge samples met the limit (100mgkg(-1)d.w.) proposed by the Europe Union for land application, whereas the PAH concentrations of 64% sludge samples exceeded the maximum permissible concentration (6.0mgkg(-1)d.w.). The occurrence of SVOCs in this study are compared with other studies and their sources are discussed.

Relationships between raw water quality, treatment, and occurrence of organics in Canadian potable water.

The occurrence of organic contaminants in potable water is of concern since ingestion of such compounds may pose a hazard to human health. To aid in health hazard assessment, Canadian potable water supplies have been surveyed for the occurrence of organic compounds, such as, the trihalomethanes (WILLIAMS et al. 1980) and n i t r i l o t r i a c e t i c acid (MALAIYANDI et al. 1979). A wide range of organics have been reported to occur in potable water (GARRISON et al. 1978) and sources of such contaminants have been discussed (e.g., DEINZER et al. 1978, WAGGOTT & WHEATLAND 1978). The relat ionships between the occurrence of organics, raw water qual i ty , and treatment practices have been investigated (e.g. SYMDNS et al. 1975, WILLIAMS et al. 1980, OTSON et al. 1981). However, such studies have been l imited, generally, to the occurrence of trihalomethanes (THM). During a recent survey of water at 30 Canadian potable water treatment f a c i l i t i e s , the occurrence of about 40 vo la t i le organics was investigated (OTSON et al. 1982). Subsequently, data obtained from questionnaires completed during the survey were used to explore the relat ionships between the occurrence of organics, water qual i ty , and treatment practices. Results of these investigations are now reported.