Weihai Xu

Occurrence and distribution of antibiotics in coastal water of the Bohai Bay, China: Impacts of river discharge and aquaculture activities

The presence of 21 antibiotics in six different groups was investigated in coastal water of the Bohai Bay. Meantime, to illuminate the potential effects caused by the river discharge and aquaculture activities, wastewater from three breeding plants and surface water from six rivers flowing into the Bohai Bay were also analyzed for the selected antibiotics. The result revealed that measured antibiotics in the North Bobai Bay were generally higher than those in the South, highlighting the remarkable effects of high density of human activities on the exposure of antibiotics in environment. The antibiotics found in the six rivers were generally higher than those in the Bohai Bay reflecting the important antibiotics source of river discharge. This study reveals that the high consumption of some antibiotics in aquaculture activities may pose high ecological risk to the bay.

Occurrence and risks of antibiotics in the Laizhou Bay, China: Impacts of river discharge

The presence of thirteen antibiotics categorized into four different groups (fluoroquinolones, macrolides, sulfonamides and trimethoprim) was investigated in the rivers discharging to the Laizhou Bay and the seawater of the bay, and the impacts of river discharge on the marine environment were assessed. The results revealed that the same antibiotics predominated in both the river water and the seawater. Additionally, the detected antibiotics in the river water were generally higher than those in the inner bay and in the open bay, reflecting the importance of the riverine inputs as a source of antibiotics. Risk assessment based on the calculated risk quotients (RQ) showed that enoxacin, ciprofloxacin, and sulfamethoxazole in the two aquatic environments both posed high ecological risks (RQ>1) to the most sensitive aquatic organisms Vibrio fischeri, Microcystis aeruginosa and Synechococcus leopoliensis, respectively.

A Preliminary Investigation on the Occurrence and Distribution of Antibiotics in the Yellow River and its Tributaries, China

This study investigated the residues of antibiotics present in the Yellow River and its tributaries. Ofloxacin, norfloxacin, roxithromycin, erythromycin, and sulfamethoxazole, were found in the river with mean concentrations from 25 to 152 ng/L, and in certain tributaries from 44 to 240 ng/L. The other four analytes were all below the limits of quantification. The results indicated that the detected antibiotics in the middle and lower Yellow River were primarily from its tributaries and ambient wastewater discharge. The concentrations of the antibiotics detected in the river were greater than that in other rivers in Europe. The antibiotics in the river and its tributaries at ng/L concentrations found in this study are unlikely to induce lethal toxicity to aquatic organism but could cause chronic ecological effects.

Antibiotics in riverine runoff of the Pearl River Delta and Pearl River Estuary, China: Concentrations, mass loading and ecological risks

Ten antibiotics belonging to three groups (macrolides, fluoroquinolones and sulfonamides) were investigated in riverine runoff of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and Pearl River Estuary (PRE), South China for assessing the importance of riverine runoff in the transportation of contaminants from terrestrial sources to the open ocean. All antibiotics were detected in the eight outlets with concentrations ranging from 0.7 to 127 ng L(-1). The annual mass loadings of antibiotics from the PRD to the PRE and coast were 193 tons with 102 tons from the fluoroquinolone group. It showed that antibiotics decreased from the riverine outlets to the PRE and open ocean. Risk assessment showed that most of these antibiotics showed various ecological risks to the relevant aquatic organisms, in which ofloxacin (OFL), erythromycin (ETM) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) posed high ecological risks to the studied aquatic environments.

The changes in trace metal contamination over the last decade in surface sediments of the Pearl River Estuary, South China

Surface sediments can provide useful information on the recent pollution status of an estuary. One recent field survey was carried out in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), South China in 2011. The comparisons with previous surveys demonstrated that the concentrations of Ni and Pb in the PRE declined over the last decade, but the concentration of Cu increased in the same time frame. The significant decreases in the concentrations of Ni and Pb were probably due to a reduction of anthropogenic inputs, such as industrial wastewater, into the PRE environment, and the ban imposed on leaded gasoline. Statistical analyses have consistently demonstrated that the process of the sedimentation of fine particles was the dominant factor in controlling the transport and distribution of trace metals in the PRE. The riverine trace metals generally displayed a pattern of diffusion from the northwest to the southeast in the estuary. However, the riparian industrial activities at the east bank of the inner PRE caused significant metal contamination in sediments. In general, effective pollution control measures in the PRD region have decreased the levels of some trace metals in the entire PRE over the last decade with the exception of Cu.

Levels, spatial distribution and sources of selected antibiotics in the East River (Dongjiang), South China

Eleven selected antibiotics in the East River, South China, were measured using high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-EI-MS-MS). Erythromycin, roxitromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, sulfadimidine, sulfamethoxazole, sulfadiazine and trimethoprim were detected with frequencies of more than 75%, and average concentrations ranging from 0.9 to 67.4 ng l−1. The other three compounds’ (sulfathiazole, sulfacetamide and spiramycin) concentrations were below detection limits. In general, the concentrations of sulfonamides and trimethoprim were higher than those of macrolides. The concentrations of macrolides showed a spatial distribution pattern of delta > lower reach > middle reach (or urban area > agriculture area), while sulfonamides and trimethoprim did not have a significant spatial pattern. Principal component analysis and comparison with wastewater were further used to explore source information of the antibiotics. The results suggested that macrolides in the East River were mainly associated with domestic sewage, while sulfonamides and trimethoprim may be more related to agriculture wastewater, especially livestock industrial wastewater. It is suggested that to ensure/improve the drinking water quality in the region, a better pollution control of livestock industry in the lower and middle reaches is of critical importance.

Occurrence and distribution of synthetic musks and organic UV filters from riverine and coastal sediments in the Pearl River estuary of China

This study reports the occurrence and distribution of synthetic musks (SMs) and organic UV filters (UVFs) in sediment samples collected in 8 riverine runoffs from the Pearl River and Pearl River estuary (PRE). Here, 6 of the 8 target compounds were detected in all sediments with concentrations ranging from 0.35ngg(-1) to 456ngg(-1). Higher concentrations of SMs and UVFs were evident in the eastern outlets compared to the western suggesting greater input of these contaminants from the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. All the compounds showed a decreasing trend toward the seaward side which confirming that riverine runoff was the most important source of SMs and UVFs to the coastal environment. Notably, high levels of SMs and UVFs were detected in two fishing harbors in the PRE area. In comparison to UVFs, the SM compounds exhibited a significant correlation with TOC content in the sediments.

Remobilization of trace metals from contaminated marine sediment in a simulated dynamic environment

In this study, release and redistribution of sediment bound trace metals due to resuspension were investigated by a lid-driven elongated annular flume (LEAF). The total suspended particulate matters (SPMs) increased significantly in quantity with the raised resuspension energies and varied distinctively in particle size and mineral composition. Except for Cu, Ni, Cd, Pb, and Zn showed an increase in dissolved phase as the resuspension energy increased. Relatively low Cu was observed in dissolved phase whereas it owned the highest original concentration in the sediment. This is primarily due to the very low solubility of Cu sulfide. In comparison to sediment, all metals were evidently enriched in SPMs which primarily contributed to the much more fine particles (silt/clay fraction) contained in the SPMs. Metals enrichment followed the Irving-Williams order of complex stability. However, metals content varied indistinctively in the SPMs among the three selected resuspension levels. The distribution coefficients (Kd) exhibited opposite trend with the increasing resuspension level with the exception of Cu. It indicated that physical and chemical characters of sediment such as grain composition, Fe/Mn, and organic matter content may also act as major factors in the release of metals and control their phase distribution in the water column.

Simultaneous determination of trace benzotriazoles and benzothiazoles in water by large-volume injection/gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Benzotriazole (BTR) and benzothiazole (BTH) derivatives have been acknowledged as emerging pollutants due to their widespread contamination in the environment and their adverse effects on aquatic organisms. A rapid and reliable analytical method, based on solid phase extraction (SPE) and large-volume injection, derivatized with N-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-N-methyltrifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA), and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), was developed for the determination of six 1,2,3-benzotriazoles and six 1,3-benzothiazoles in aquatic matrices. It was demonstrated that MTBSTFA had a better overall performance compared with N-methyl-N-(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (MSTFA) and N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA). The method detection limits in tap water, river water and effluent samples were 0.050–1.3 ng L(−1), 0.057–1.8 ng L(−1) and 0.10–4.0 ng L(−1), respectively. Mean recoveries of the target analytes at different aquatic matrices, ranged from 43% to 131% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) below 17%. The method was successfully employed to river water and effluent sewage samples collected from a sewage treatment plant in Germany. Seven target compounds were detected with the maximum concentration up to 2.9 μg L(−1) for 4-Me-BTR in the effluent sample.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in the equatorial Indian Ocean: Temporal trend, continental outflow and air-water exchange

Nineteen pairs of air and seawater samples collected from the equatorial Indian Ocean onboard the Shiyan I from 4/2011 to 5/2011 were analyzed for PCBs and HCB. Gaseous concentrations of ∑(ICES)PCBs (ICES: International Council for the Exploration of the Seas) and HCB were lower than previous data over the study area. Air samples collected near the coast had higher levels of PCBs relative to those collected in the open ocean, which may be influenced by proximity to source regions and air mass origins. Dissolved concentrations of ∑(ICES)PCBs and HCB were 1.4-14 pg L⁻¹ and 0.94-13 pg L⁻¹, with the highest concentrations in the sample collected from Strait of Malacca. Fugacity fractions suggest volatilization of PCBs and HCB from the seawater to air during the cruise, with fluxes of 0.45-34 ng m⁻² d⁻¹ and 0.36-18 ng m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively.