es9b06126_si_002.pdf (380.75 kB)
Suspect and Nontarget Screening for Contaminants of Emerging Concern in an Urban Estuary
journal contribution
posted on 2020-01-07, 14:46 authored by Zhenyu Tian, Katherine T. Peter, Alex D. Gipe, Haoqi Zhao, Fan Hou, David A. Wark, Tarang Khangaonkar, Edward P. Kolodziej, C. Andrew JamesThis study used suspect and nontarget
screening with high-resolution
mass spectrometry to characterize the occurrence of contaminants of
emerging concern (CECs) in the nearshore marine environment of Puget
Sound (WA). In total, 87 non-polymeric CECs were identified; those
confirmed with reference standards (45) included pharmaceuticals, herbicides, vehicle-related
compounds, plasticizers, and flame retardants. Eight polyfluoroalkyl
substances were detected; perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) concentrations
were as high as 72–140 ng/L at one location. Low levels of
methamphetamine were detected in 41% of the samples. Transformation
products of pesticides were tentatively identified, including two
novel transformation products of tebuthiuron. While a hydrodynamic
simulation, analytical results, and dilution calculations demonstrated
the prevalence of wastewater effluent to nearshore marine environments,
the identity and abundance of selected CECs revealed the additional
contributions from stormwater and localized urban and industrial sources.
For the confirmed CECs, risk quotients were calculated based on concentrations
and predicted toxicities, and eight CECs had risk quotients >1.
Dilution
in the marine estuarine environment lowered the risks of most wastewater-derived
CECs, but dilution alone is insufficient to mitigate risks of localized
inputs. These findings highlighted the necessity of suspect and nontarget
screening and revealed the importance of localized contamination sources
in urban marine environments.