A Unique Monitoring Method for Fecal and Sewage-Derived Chemical Pollution Utilizing International Pellet Watch Approach.
Environ Sci Technol
; 58(10): 4761-4771, 2024 Mar 12.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38410842
ABSTRACT
This study established a unique approach to assess fecal contamination by measuring fecal sterols, especially coprostanol (5ß-cholestanol-3ß-ol, 5ß) and cholestanol (5α-cholestan-3ß-ol, 5α) and their ratio 5ß/(5ß + 5α) alongside triclosan (TCS) and methyl-triclosan (MTC) in beached plastic pellets across 40 countries. Coprostanol concentrations ranged from 3.6 to 8190 ng/g pellet with extremely high levels in densely populated areas in African countries. The 5ß/(5ß + 5α) ratio was not affected by the difference in residence time of pellets in aquatic environments, and their spatial pattern showed a positive correlation with that of sedimentary sterols, demonstrating its reliability as an indicator of fecal contamination. Pellets from populated areas of economically developing countries, i.e., Africa and Asia, with lower coverage of wastewater treatment exhibited higher 5ß/(5ß + 5α) ratios (â¼0.7) corresponding to â¼1% sewage in seawater, while pellets from developed countries, i.e., the USA, Canada, Japan, and Europe, with higher coverage of modern wastewater treatment displayed lower ratios (â¼0.5), corresponding to the first contact limit. Triclosan levels were higher in developing countries (0.4-1298 ng/g pellet), whereas developed countries showed higher methyl-triclosan levels (0.5-70 ng/g pellet) due to TCS conversion during secondary treatment. However, some samples from Japan and Europe displayed higher TCS levels, suggesting contributions from combined sewage overflow (CSO). Combination of 5ß/(5ß + 5α) and MTC/TCS ratios revealed extreme fecal contamination from direct input of raw sewage due to inadequate treatment facilities in some African and South and Southeast Asian countries.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Triclosan
/
Poluentes Químicos da Água
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Environ Sci Technol
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Japão