Exposure to environmental organic pollutants has triggered significant ecological impacts and adverse health outcomes, which have been received substantial and increasing attention. The contribution of unidentified chemical components is considered as the most significant knowledge gap in understanding the combined effects of pollutant mixtures. To address this issue, remarkable analytical breakthroughs have recently been made. In this review, the basic principles on recognition of environmental organic pollutants are overviewed. Complementary analytical methodologies (i.e., quantitative structure−activity relationship prediction, mass spectrometric nontarget screening, and effect-directed analysis) and experimental platforms are briefly described. The stages of technique development and/or essential parts of the analytical workflow for each of the methodologies are then reviewed. Finally, plausible technique paths and applications of the future nontarget screening methods, interdisciplinary techniques for achieving toxicant identification, and burgeoning strategies on risk assessment of chemical cocktails are discussed.
Warming and exposure to emerging global pollutants, such
as per-
and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are significant stressors in
the aquatic ecosystem. However, little is known about the warming
effect on the bioaccumulation of PFAS in aquatic organisms. In this
study, the pelagic organisms Daphnia magna and zebrafish, and the benthic organism Chironomus
plumosus were exposed to 13 PFAS in a sediment–water
system with a known amount of each PFAS at different temperatures
(16, 20, and 24 °C). The results showed that the steady-state
body burden (C
b‑ss) of PFAS in
pelagic organisms increased with increasing temperatures, mainly attributed
to increased water concentrations. The uptake rate constant (k
u) and elimination rate constant (k
e) in pelagic organisms increased with increasing temperature.
In contrast, warming did not significantly change or even mitigate C
b‑ss of PFAS in the benthic organism Chironomus plumosus, except for PFPeA and PFHpA,
which was consistent with declined sediment concentrations. The mitigation
could be explained by the decreased bioaccumulation factor due to
a more significant percent increase in k
e than k
u, especially for long-chain PFAS.
This study suggests that the warming effect on the PFAS concentration
varies among different media, which should be considered for their
ecological risk assessment under climate change.
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