Climate change brings about significant changes in the physical environment in the Arctic. Increasing temperatures, sea ice retreat, slumping permafrost, changing sea ice regimes, glacial loss and changes in precipitation...

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The hazards of many plastic additives on human and environmental health are well documented. However, little emphasis has been put on plastic additives that are persistent, mobile, and toxic (PMT)...

<p> </p> <p>The populations of American (Anguilla rostrata) and European eels (Anguilla anguilla) have been declining rapidly in the last decades. Organic contaminants are suspected to be one of the possible causes for the decline; however, so far there have been few investigations of the uptake of specific compounds by different life cycle stages (e.g. freshwater or marine stage) and how the contamination patterns develop throughout the eel's life cycle. In the present study we measured concentrations of polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), alternate brominated flame retardants (alternate BFRs) and Dechloranes (Decs) in different life stages of European and American eels to compare the contamination patterns and their development throughout the eel's life cycle. In general, concentrations of flame retardants (FRs) were similar to or higher in American than in European eels, and a greater number of FRs were detected. PBDE congeners that are characteristic of the Penta-PBDE formulation were the most abundant FRs in all adult eels as well as American glass eels. In European glass eels the alternate BFR 2,3-dibromopropyl-2,4,6-tribromophenylether (DPTE) and Dechlorane Plus were the dominating FRs, with average concentrations of 1.1±0.31 ng g(-1) ww and up to 0.32 ng g(-1) ww respectively. Of the PBDEs BDE-183 was the most abundant congener in European glass eels. Low concentrations (less than 10% of the total contamination) of Tetra and Penta-PBDEs in juvenile European eels indicated that bans of technical Penta-PBDE in the European Union are effective. Enrichment of PBDEs was observed over the life stages of both European and American eels. However, a greater relative contribution of PBDEs to the sum FR contamination in American eels indicated an on-going exposure to these substances. High contributions of alternate BFRs in juvenile eels indicated an increased use of these substances in recent years. Concentrations seemed to be driven primarily by location, rather than life stage or age.</p>

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are deemed major conveyors and point sources of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the environment. This statistical meta‐analysis of existing literature from the past 15 years focused on the significance of treatment type for PFAS removal efficiencies and the influence of PFAS sources (domestic vs. industrial) on their removal. Different sampling events, WWTPs across the world, different treatment technologies, configurations, and processes, as well as different PFAS classes and compounds were considered. This study evaluated 13 PFAS analyzed predominantly in 161 WWTPs across the world. The statistical test results revealed that these 13 frequently detected and reported PFAS can be divided into four groups based on their behavior during wastewater treatment, namely (1) C6–10 perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs), (2) C4,5,11,12 PFCAs, (3) C4,6,8 perfluoroalkane sulfonic acids (PFSAs), and (4) C10 PFSA. In this study, biological treatments such as (1) membrane bioreactors, (2) combination of two or more biological treatments, and (3) biofilm processes revealed the highest PFAS removals, although the addition of a tertiary treatment actually had a nonbeneficial effect on PFAS removal. Moreover, a strong statistical correlation was observed between industrial wastewater sources and the presence of high influent PFAS concentrations in the receiving WWTPs. This indicates that industrial sources were the main contributors of the PFAS load in the analyzed WWTPs. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;00:1–11. © 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

<p>The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is regarded as a critically endangered species. Scientists are in agreement that the “quality of spawners” is a vital factor for the survival of the species. This quality can be impaired by parasites, disease and pollution. Especially endocrine </p> <p>disrupting organic chemicals pose a potential threat to reproduction and development of offspring. </p> <p>To our knowledge, the findings in this publication for the first time describe maternal transfer of contaminants in eels. We analysed the concentrations of in total 53 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their halogenated substitutes in muscle, gonads and eggs of </p> <p>artificially matured European eels and in muscle and gonads of untreated European eels that were used for comparison. We found evidence that persistent organic pollutants such as PBDEs, as well as their brominated and chlorinated substitutes are redistributed from muscle tissue to gonads and eggs. Concentrations ranged from 0.001 ng g-1 ww for sum Dechlorane metabolites (DPMA, aCL10DP, aCl11DP) to 2.1 ng g-1 ww for TBA in eggs, 0.001 ng g-1 ww for Dechlorane metabolites to 9.4 ng g-1 ww for TBA in gonads and 0.002 ng g-1 ww for Dechlorane metabolites to 54 ng g-1 ww for TBA in muscle tissue. Average egg muscle ratios (EMRs) for </p> <p>compounds detectable in artificially matured eels from both Schlei Fjord and Ems River ranged from 0.01 for Dechlorane 602  (DDC-DBF) to 10.4 for PBEB. Strong correlations were found between flame retardant concentrations and lipid content in the analysed tissue types, as well as transfer rates and octanol-water partitioning coefficient, indicating that these parameters </p> <p>were the driving factors for the observed maternal transfer. Furthermore, indications were found, that TBP-DBPE, TBP-AE, BATE and TBA have a significant uptake from the surrounding water, rather than just food and might additionally be formed by metabolism or biotransformation processes. Dechloranes seem to be of increasing relevance as contaminants in eels and are transferred to eggs. A change of the isomer pattern in comparison to the technical product of Dechlorane Plus (DP) was observed indicating a redistribution of DP from muscle tissue to gonads during silvering with a preference of the syn-isomer. The highly bioaccumulative DDC-DBF was the most abundant Dechlorane in all fish of the comparison group even though it is not produced or imported in the EU. The aldrin related “experimental flame retardant” dibromoaldrin (DBALD) was detected for the first time </p> <p>in the environment in similar or higher concentrations than DP. </p>

<p>The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is regarded as a critically endangered species. Scientists are in agreement that the “quality of spawners” is a vital factor for the survival of the species. This quality can be impaired by parasites, disease and pollution. Especially endocrine </p> <p>disrupting organic chemicals pose a potential threat to reproduction and development of offspring. </p> <p>To our knowledge, the findings in this publication for the first time describe maternal transfer of contaminants in eels. We analysed the concentrations of in total 53 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their halogenated substitutes in muscle, gonads and eggs of </p> <p>artificially matured European eels and in muscle and gonads of untreated European eels that were used for comparison. We found evidence that persistent organic pollutants such as PBDEs, as well as their brominated and chlorinated substitutes are redistributed from muscle tissue to gonads and eggs. Concentrations ranged from 0.001 ng g-1 ww for sum Dechlorane metabolites (DPMA, aCL10DP, aCl11DP) to 2.1 ng g-1 ww for TBA in eggs, 0.001 ng g-1 ww for Dechlorane metabolites to 9.4 ng g-1 ww for TBA in gonads and 0.002 ng g-1 ww for Dechlorane metabolites to 54 ng g-1 ww for TBA in muscle tissue. Average egg muscle ratios (EMRs) for </p> <p>compounds detectable in artificially matured eels from both Schlei Fjord and Ems River ranged from 0.01 for Dechlorane 602  (DDC-DBF) to 10.4 for PBEB. Strong correlations were found between flame retardant concentrations and lipid content in the analysed tissue types, as well as transfer rates and octanol-water partitioning coefficient, indicating that these parameters </p> <p>were the driving factors for the observed maternal transfer. Furthermore, indications were found, that TBP-DBPE, TBP-AE, BATE and TBA have a significant uptake from the surrounding water, rather than just food and might additionally be formed by metabolism or biotransformation processes. Dechloranes seem to be of increasing relevance as contaminants in eels and are transferred to eggs. A change of the isomer pattern in comparison to the technical product of Dechlorane Plus (DP) was observed indicating a redistribution of DP from muscle tissue to gonads during silvering with a preference of the syn-isomer. The highly bioaccumulative DDC-DBF was the most abundant Dechlorane in all fish of the comparison group even though it is not produced or imported in the EU. The aldrin related “experimental flame retardant” dibromoaldrin (DBALD) was detected for the first time </p> <p>in the environment in similar or higher concentrations than DP. </p>

<p>Through ingestion and subsequent egestion, Arctic seabirds can bioaccumulate microplastics at and around their colony breeding sites. While microplastics in Arctic seabirds have been well documented, it is not yet understood to what extent these particles can act as transport vehicles for plastic-associated contaminants, including legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs), trace metals, and organic additives. We investigated the occurrence and pattern of organic and inorganic co-contaminants of microplastics in two seabird species from the Canadian Arctic — northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) and black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla). We found that fulmars had higher levels of plastic contamination and emerging organic compounds (known to be plastic additives) than kittiwakes, whereas higher concentrations of legacy POPs were found in kittiwakes than the fulmars. Furthermore, fulmars, the species with the much larger foraging range (∼200 km), had higher plastic pollution and overall contaminant burdens, indicating that birds may be acting as long-range transport vectors for plastic-associated pollution. Our results suggest a potential connection between plastic additive contamination and plastic pollution burdens in the bird stomachs, highlighting the importance of treating plastic particles and plastic-associated organic additives as co-contaminants rather than separate pollution issues.</p>