Occurrence and level of emerging organic contaminant in fish and mollusk from Klang River estuary, Malaysia and assessment on human health risk

Abstract

The occurrence, level, and distribution of multiclass emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) in fish and mollusks from the Klang River estuary were examined. The targeted EOCs for this assessment were phenolic endocrine disrupting compounds (bisphenol A, 4-OP, and 4-NP), organophosphorous pesticides (quinalphos, chlorpyrifos, and diazinon), estrogenic hormones (E2, E1, and EE2), and pharmaceutically active chemicals (primidone, sulfamethoxazole, dexamethasone, diclofenac, amoxicillin, progesterone, and testosterone). Results from this study showed that the prevalent contamination of the Klang River estuary by EOCs with diclofenac, bisphenol A, progesterone, and amoxicillin were predominantly detected in fish and mollusks. Among the EOCs, diclofenac and progesterone had the highest concentrations in fish and mollusk samples, respectively. The concentrations of diclofenac and progesterone in fish and mollusk samples range from 1.42 ng/g to 10.76 ng/g and from 0.73 ng/g to 9.57 ng/g, respectively. Bisphenol A should also be highlighted because of its significant presence in both fish and mollusks. The concentration of bisphenol A in both matrices range from 0.92 ng/g to 5.79 ng/g. The calculated hazard quotient (HQ) for diclofenac, bisphenol A, and progesterone without consideration to their degradation byproduct were less than one, thus suggesting that the consumption of fish and mollusks from the Klang River estuary will unlikely pose any health risk to consumers on the basis of the current assessment. Nonetheless, this preliminary result is an important finding for pollution studies in Malaysian tropical coastal ecosystems, particularly for organic micropollutant EOCs, and can serve as a baseline database for future reference.

Simultaneous Quantification of Multiple Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Aqueous Media using Micelle Assisted White Light Excitation Fluorescence

“…Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are known to be one of the most dreadful and long-lasting pollutants in the living environment 1,2 . PAHs are hydrophobic organic molecules having more than two benzenoid groups in a condensed manner, most of which are carcinogenic to living organisms and hazardous to aquatic life 3,4 . They are one of the main ubiquitous pollutants in the environment, especially in water bodies.…”

Proposing new approaches for the risk characterisation of single chemicals and chemical mixtures: The source related Hazard Quotient (HQS) and Hazard Index (HIS) and the adversity specific Hazard Index (HIA)

“…HQ and HI methodologies for risk characterisation, whilst considering a single route or a single source of exposure, have since been implemented in a number of studies. This is the case with many dietary studies where the estimation of risk has been associated with the concentrations of chemicals in a specific food item [[17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24], [25], [26]]. The lack of availability of data and/or the capacity to estimate actual aggregated exposure has likely driven the calculation of a HQ based on exposure to one food item only.…”

The Occurrence and Risks of Selected Emerging Pollutants in Drinking Water Source Areas in Henan, China

“…In recent years, with the rapid urbanization and industrialization, organic micropollutant (OMP)-induced environmental pollution has attracted extensive attention [1,2,3]. Due to their wide use and incomplete elimination, OMPs have been frequently detected in various water.…”