Occurrence and risk assessment of microplastics in the Lhasa River—a remote plateau river on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Zhou, Amei; Zhao, Yuhong; Liu, Minxia; Suyamud, Bongkotrat; Yuan, Wenke; Yang, Yuyi

doi:10.1007/s10661-023-11040-z

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…11 Microplastics were found to be ubiquitous in the Lhasa River, which originated mainly from domestic wastewater discharge, domestic solid waste, and agricultural films. 12 Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were also found to occur widely in the Lhasa River (above and below the WWTP effluent discharge points), which indicates that some domestic wastewater was discharged into the river without treatment and point sources had significant contribution to the pollution in the basin. 13 However, antimicrobial pollution in the Lhasa River has not received attention so far.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), including estrone, progesterone, and bisphenol A, were detected in the middle and lower reach of the Lhasa River, and the obvious spatiotemporal distribution of EDCs was due to damming, grazing, and urbanization . Microplastics were found to be ubiquitous in the Lhasa River, which originated mainly from domestic wastewater discharge, domestic solid waste, and agricultural films . Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were also found to occur widely in the Lhasa River (above and below the WWTP effluent discharge points), which indicates that some domestic wastewater was discharged into the river without treatment and point sources had significant contribution to the pollution in the basin .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Uncovering the Dominant Contribution of Untreated Domestic Wastewater to Antimicrobials in the Lower Reach of the Lhasa River on the Tibetan Plateau

et al. 2023

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A major tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo River on the Tibetan Plateau, the Lhasa River, flows through Lhasa, one of the world’s highest-altitude cities. Along with the fast urbanization and booming tourism industry in Lhasa, pollution of its aquatic environment receives growing concerns. This study quantified the spatiotemporal distributions and potential ecological risk of common antimicrobials in the lower reach of the Lhasa River for the first time and found untreated domestic wastewater to be a key source of pollution. Thirty-four antimicrobials were detected, with concentrations spanning 4 orders of magnitude (0.01–629 ng/L). Spatial variations of antimicrobials were observed, with tetracyclines and macrolides dominated at the upstream and downstream sites of Lhasa city, respectively, due to varying source inputs and different attenuation of antimicrobials. Although only a few antimicrobials pose medium–high ecological risk individually, the simultaneous occurrence of multiple antimicrobials may result in significant ecological toxicity. While the treated wastewater effluent and agricultural runoff combined contributed to 14.2 and 23.5% of the total antimicrobials in the Lhasa River during wet and dry seasons, respectively, the untreated domestic wastewater discharge accounted for the rest. These findings indicate the urgent need for improving the collection system and treatment technology of domestic wastewater in Lhasa.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%