Exposure Analysis of Bisphenol A in Surface Water Systems in North America and Europe

Abstract

This study was conducted to develop a statistical understanding of exposures to bisphenol A (BPA) in aquatic environments in North America and Europe. Concentrations of BPA have been reported by 89 investigations published between 1997 and 2007. On the basis of an analysis of weighted observations (n = 1068 and 848 for North America and Europe, respectively), BPA was reported at concentrations above the detection limit in 20-51% of freshwater samples. Median BPA concentrations for fresh surface waters for North America and Europe were 0.081 and 0.01 microg/L, respectively, while 95th percentiles were 0.47 and 0.35 microg/L, respectively. In contrast to fresh surface waters, only limited data are available for sediments and less for marine ecosystems. For freshwater sediments in North America (n = 71), the median and 90th percentile concentration (the 95th percentile was not calculable) were 0.6 and 3.4 ng/ g-dw, respectively, while the median and 95th percentile concentration in Europe (n = 249) were 16 and 256 ng/g-dw, respectively. To assess the potential ecological significance, we compared exposure concentrations with available regulatory criteria. The results suggest the frequency of locations in which concentrations are likely to cause adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems is low, with the exception of sediments collected from some highly urbanized and industrial locations.

Assessment of organochlorine pesticides and plasticisers in the Selangor River basin and possible pollution sources

“…Effect on the firefly ecosystem While the detected concentrations were much lower than the predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) of these contaminants (Klecka et al 2009;Staples et al 2000), the possibility that the more sensitive species are affected at a much lower concentration cannot be ignored. For example, Wright-Walters et al (2011) derived a much lower PNEC value of 0.06 μg/L for BPA using the weight of evidence approach based on ecotoxicological endpoints of survival, growth and development and reproduction of the most sensitive species.…”

Analysis and occurrence of endocrine-disrupting compounds and estrogenic activity in the surface waters of Central Spain

“…n Rio das Velhas River (Moreira et al, 2011). o Rivers of North America (Kolpin et al, 2002;Palmer et al, 2008;Klecka et al, 2009;Benotti et al, 2009;Knee et al, 2010). p Mississippi River (Wang L et al, 2012;Wang G et al, 2012).…”

Heterogeneous Fenton degradation of bisphenol A by carbon nanotube-supported Fe3O4

“…Significant amounts of bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disrupting chemical, have been released from the manufacturing process of plastics, epoxy resins, dental material and flame retardants [2][3][4][5][6]. The level of BPA in wastewater treatment facilities ranges from a few ppb up to several ppm [7].…”