As effect of human activities, persistent organic pollutants are discharged in the environment and can be found in surface waters. They could ultimately accumulate in Wastewaters Treatment Plants (WWTPs) which unfortunately are rarely designed to face this problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of waters collected from real wastewater treatment plants in the north of Italy, in terms of pharmaceutical active compounds (PhAC) concentration and environmental risk assessment. The process efficiency was studied, evaluating also the effect of seasonal variability: samples were collected from both the influents and the effluents during a four season sampling campaign. The chemical characterization revealed the presence of nine PhAC including three non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (diclofenac, ketoprofen, paracetamol), three antibiotics (amoxicillin, clarithromycin, doxycycline), one β-blocker (atenolol), one antiepileptic drug (carbamazepine) and one hormone (β-estradiol). As expected, their concentration was strongly affected by the season, with high antibiotics concentration detected during cold periods. As regards the wastewaters ecotoxicity, several bioassays were performed based on three seeds (watercress, sorghum and cucumber), algae, crustaceous and luminescent bacteria. Raphidocelis subcapitata was often the most sensitive organism, but data confirmed the importance of a battery of tests with model organisms representative of different trophic levels of the aquatic ecosystem. The WWTPs did not always reduce the toxicity indicating that the waters discharged in the receiving basin still had relevant effects on the ecosystem. Ecotoxicologycal synthetic index were also performed to better define the actual environmental risk. The set-up of the toxicological scale allowed to provide a single number that indicates the environmental risk associated to the sample, merging all the results (potentially even contrasting ones) of the bioassays including statistical evaluation of the data. The sampling campaign is still in due course and it will be useful to evaluate the major chemicals responsible for the environmental stress posed by the wastewaters and to set up an ecotoxicological battery fruitful for the evaluation of the acute and chronic toxicity of a water sample.
Evaluation of the ecotoxicological impact of municipal wastewaters on wildlife
Federica Spina;Giovanna C. Varese
2018-01-01
Abstract
As effect of human activities, persistent organic pollutants are discharged in the environment and can be found in surface waters. They could ultimately accumulate in Wastewaters Treatment Plants (WWTPs) which unfortunately are rarely designed to face this problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of waters collected from real wastewater treatment plants in the north of Italy, in terms of pharmaceutical active compounds (PhAC) concentration and environmental risk assessment. The process efficiency was studied, evaluating also the effect of seasonal variability: samples were collected from both the influents and the effluents during a four season sampling campaign. The chemical characterization revealed the presence of nine PhAC including three non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (diclofenac, ketoprofen, paracetamol), three antibiotics (amoxicillin, clarithromycin, doxycycline), one β-blocker (atenolol), one antiepileptic drug (carbamazepine) and one hormone (β-estradiol). As expected, their concentration was strongly affected by the season, with high antibiotics concentration detected during cold periods. As regards the wastewaters ecotoxicity, several bioassays were performed based on three seeds (watercress, sorghum and cucumber), algae, crustaceous and luminescent bacteria. Raphidocelis subcapitata was often the most sensitive organism, but data confirmed the importance of a battery of tests with model organisms representative of different trophic levels of the aquatic ecosystem. The WWTPs did not always reduce the toxicity indicating that the waters discharged in the receiving basin still had relevant effects on the ecosystem. Ecotoxicologycal synthetic index were also performed to better define the actual environmental risk. The set-up of the toxicological scale allowed to provide a single number that indicates the environmental risk associated to the sample, merging all the results (potentially even contrasting ones) of the bioassays including statistical evaluation of the data. The sampling campaign is still in due course and it will be useful to evaluate the major chemicals responsible for the environmental stress posed by the wastewaters and to set up an ecotoxicological battery fruitful for the evaluation of the acute and chronic toxicity of a water sample.
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