Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Seine River Basin: Overview of Recent Research

Abstract

For over 30 years, the sources and the transfer dynamics of micropollutants have been investigated in the PIREN-Seine programme. Recent works included a wide range of chemicals and biological contaminants of emerging concern (i.e. contaminants whose occurrence, fate and impact are scarcely documented). This chapter presents a brief overview of research recently conducted on contaminants as diverse as macro-and microplastics, poly-and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), pathogenic protozoa, antibiotics and the associated antibiotic resistance. The multiscalar study of plastics and PFASs at a large spatial scale is rare; the results produced in recent years on the Seine River catchment have provided an original contribution to the investigation of the dynamics of these contaminants in urban environments. The results also highlighted that pathogenic protozoa are ubiquitous in the Seine River basin and that the contamination of bivalves such as Dreissena polymorpha could reflect the ambient biological contamination of watercourses. The widespread occurrence of antibiotics in the Seine River was demonstrated, and it was shown that the resistome of biofilms in highly urbanised rivers constitutes a microenvironment where genetic support for antibiotic resistance (clinical integrons) and resistance genes for trace metals are concentrated.

Rivers help us to quantify the socio-ecological functioning of their basin at the Anthropocene: the Seine example (1850–2020)

“…Other metabolism studies have been established for heavy metals [Meybeck et al, 2007, for PAHs, drug residues and emerging pollutants [Gateuille et al, 2021, Labadie et al, 2021, Tamtam et al, 2008, for specific micropollutants as PCBs, PAHs, phthalates, PBDE, pesticides, microplastics, in rural, and peri-urban areas [Blanchoud et al, 2013, Dris et al, 2015, Gateuille et al, 2014, Teil et al, 2014. These studies show the extent to which the material is imported, transported, transformed, recycled, and exported within the anthroposphere.…”

Trajectories of the Seine River Basin

“…In addition to laboratory analyses (e.g. characterization of organic matter [83], analysis of contaminants [60,84], ecotoxicology [85], microbiology [40]), the field activities range from agricultural plot studies to interannual river exports assessed at the basin outlet. Various intermediate time and spatial scales are considered, depending on the scientific or societal question being addressed.…”

Life in an unsuspected antibiotics world: River biofilms

“…Figure 3. Relative abundance (copies/16S RNA) of Intl1 in studied river biofilms and different solid matrices reported in the literature(Stalder et al, 2012;Subirats et al, 2017;Labadie et al, 2020), UPS -upstream, DWSdownstream, CR -Clain river, VR -Vienne river.…”