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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2022) | Viewed by 34474

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Claudia Stihi

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Guest Editor

Department of Sciences and Advanced Technologies, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Valahia University of Targoviste, 130004 Targoviste, Romania
Interests: atomic spectroscopic techniques; elemental analysis; heavy metals; environmental monitoring; biomonitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Antoaneta Ene

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry, Physics and Environment, Faculty of Sciences and Environment, Dunarea de Jos University of Galati, 800008 Galati, Romania
Interests: nuclear and atomic analytical techniques; pollutants; nuclear radiations; environmental monitoring; biomonitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Monitoring and assessment of the environmental pollution is a challenging task today, particularly important for the understanding and knowledge of the sources and levels of contamination of the environment with agents that interfere with human health, quality of life or the natural function of ecosystems (living organisms and the environment in which they live), as well as unravelling the effects of individual or mixtures of pollutants, their pathways, routes of exposure, and risk factors.

The palette of pollutants in the environment, originating from human-made or natural sources, is exceptionally large and includes chemicals, organisms, and biological materials, and various forms of energy (ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, heat, noise, etc.). The number of pollutant factors is continuously growing, and their presence in the environment in an amount exceeding a limit that can be tolerated by one or more species of living things, or by humans, could inhibit their normal development and damage either the environment or human health.

This Special Issue welcomes submissions that report results from original and novel research addressing problems related to environmental pollution and its impact on ecosystems and human health.

Subject areas include but are not limited to:

Sources, levels, and distribution of pollutants in the environment, food, and human bodies;
Development of techniques for the analysis of occurrence, behavior, and transport of pollutants within environmental compartments;
Analysis of contaminants of emerging concern (e.g., pharmaceutical compounds, endocrine disruptors, antibiotic resistant microorganisms, microplastics);
Modeling of pollution processes in environment;
Biomonitoring of environmental pollution using various types of biological monitors;
Assessment of pollutants’ impact on ecological state of ecosystems and human health;
Risk factors related to exposures to pollutants (chemical stressors, radiations, noise) in outdoor and indoor environments.

Dr. Claudia Stihi
Prof. Dr. Antoaneta Ene
Guest Editors

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Keywords

environmental pollution
analytical techniques
heavy metals
persistent organic pollutants
radionuclides
emerging pollutants
endocrine disruptors
microplastics
biomonitoring

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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12 pages, 2779 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Interlaboratory Comparison of ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra Activity Concentrations in Groundwater and Surface Water

by David B. Levy

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(23), 12198; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122312198 - 29 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1122

Abstract

²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra are typically monitored for groundwater and surface water compliance at legacy U mining and milling sites. Groundwater monitoring results for combined Ra (²²⁶Ra + ²²⁸Ra) reported by the existing contract laboratory at a former U mine and mill Site (Converse County, WY, USA) have been highly variable and with increasing trends at the Site compliance and background wells since the method was changed in 2005. Sample reanalysis has indicated poor reproducibility and significant analytical error in ²²⁸Ra measurements. An interlaboratory comparison was conducted to evaluate the potential causes of the high variability and analytical error. Two different methods were used for ²²⁶Ra (M903.0 and M903.1) and ²²⁸Ra (M904.0 and Ra-05). ²²⁶Ra results were less variable compared to ²²⁸Ra, and ²²⁸Ra data from the existing laboratory were qualified as estimated with high bias due to detection of ²²⁸Ra in the field blank. Compliance with the ²²⁶Ra + ²²⁸Ra groundwater standard was either met or not met, depending on which laboratory conducted the analyses. Specific laboratory techniques, rather than the analytical method, are contributing to elevated ²²⁸Ra values being reported. It was recommended that samples whose ²²⁶Ra + ²²⁸Ra results exceed the Site standard in the future be reanalyzed by the existing laboratory with a sample split also being sent to an outside laboratory for confirmatory analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring and Analysis of Environmental Pollution)

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16 pages, 3347 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Field Experience for Determination of Formaldehyde in Stack Emissions

by Amedeo M. Cefalì, Ezio Bolzacchini, Luca Ferrero, Giuseppe Clauser, Christian Dallapiccola, Stefano Maggi and Domenico Cipriano

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(19), 10150; https://doi.org/10.3390/app121910150 - 9 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1558

Abstract

Formaldehyde (H−CHO) is a chemical compound extremely common in many industrial productions. However, in 2004, it was reclassified as carcinogenic (H350) and mutagenic (H341). Therefore, stringent limitations on emissions were implemented; among them, the lowest limit (3 mg/m³) was adopted by some Italian Local Competent Authorities. Up to now, no European-validated method for emission control was available, and for this reason, a specific working group (WG 40) has been created in the framework of the European Committee for Standardization Technical Committees 264 (CEN TC 264) to publish a qualified method for the quantification of Formaldehyde emissions from stationary sources (i.e., power stations, incinerators, petrochemicals, and industrial plants that uses combustion for their energetic purposes). Some preliminary trial tests were conducted to evaluate (1) the sampling protocol, and (2) the analytical technique. From a measurement perspective, two methods were selected: EPA 323—VDI 3862-6 and VDI 3862-2. Every new method prepared by CEN shall be verified before publication in the field and in real conditions to verify its metrological properties (i.e., precision, biases, reproducibility, and repeatability), costs and the training needs for involved personnel. With this aim, two measuring campaigns were conducted, and some important conclusions emerged concerning the H−CHO sampling procedure. Due to high water levels normally present, condensation during sampling is critical and can cause unpredictable errors; wet traps (impingers) give good responses. The sampling in pure water appeared unstable, but using an H₂SO₄ solution solved this issue, thus being recommended. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring and Analysis of Environmental Pollution)

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24 pages, 6840 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Long-Range Internet of Things-Based Advanced Vehicle Pollution Monitoring System with Node Authentication and Blockchain

by Arti Rana, Arvind Singh Rawat, Ashraf Afifi, Rajesh Singh, Mamoon Rashid, Anita Gehlot, Shaik Vaseem Akram and Sultan S. Alshamrani

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(15), 7547; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12157547 - 27 Jul 2022

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2528

Abstract

According to United Nations (UN) 2030 agenda, the pollution detection system needs to be improved for the establishment of fresh air to obtain healthy life of living things. There are many reasons for the pollution and one of the reasons for pollution is from the emissions of the vehicles. Currently digital technologies such as the Internet of Things and Long-Range are showing significant impact on establishment of smart infrastructure for achieving the sustainability. Based on this motivation, this study implemented a sensor node and gateway-based Internet of Things architecture to monitor the air quality index value from any location through Long-Range communication, and Internet connectivity. To realize the proposed system, a customization of hardware is carried out and implemented the customized hardware i.e., sensor node and gateway in real-time. The sensor node is powered with node mapping to minimize the data redundancy. In this study, the evaluation metrics such as bit rate, receiver sensitivity, and time on air are evaluated by spreading factor (SF), code rate (CR), bandwidth, number of packets, payload size, preamble, and noise figure. The real-time sensor values are logged on the cloud server through sensor node and gateway. The sensor values recorded in the cloud server is compared with optimal values and concluded that the PM₁₀, PM₂.₅ are high in the air and remaining values of NO₂, O₃, CO are optimal in the air. Along with this an architecture is proposed for interfacing the hardware with blockchain network through cloud server and API for node authentication. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring and Analysis of Environmental Pollution)

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18 pages, 3414 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimating Full-Coverage PM_2.5 Concentrations Based on Himawari-8 and NAQPMS Data over Sichuan-Chongqing

by Qiaolin Zeng, Hao Zhu, Yanghua Gao, Tianshou Xie, Sizhu Liu and Liangfu Chen

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(14), 7065; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12147065 - 13 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1648

Abstract

Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) has attracted extensive attention due to its harmful effects on humans and the environment. The sparse ground-based air monitoring stations limit their application for scientific research, while aerosol optical depth (AOD) by remote sensing satellite technology retrieval can reflect air quality on a large scale and thus compensate for the shortcomings of ground-based measurements. In this study, the elaborate vertical-humidity method was used to estimate PM_2.5 with the spatial resolution 1 km and the temporal resolution 1 hour. For vertical correction, the scale height of aerosols (

H_{a}

) was introduced based on the relationship between the visibility data and extinction coefficient of meteorological observations to correct the AOD of the Advance Himawari Imager (AHI) onboard the Himawari-8 satellite. The hygroscopic growth factor (f(RH)) was fitted site-by-site and month by month (1–12 months). Meanwhile, the spatial distribution of the fitted coefficients can be obtained by interpolation assuming that the aerosol properties vary smoothly on a regional scale. The inverse distance weighted (IDW) method was performed to construct the hygroscopic correction factor grid for humidity correction so as to estimate the PM_2.5 concentrations in Sichuan and Chongqing from 09:00 to 16:00 in 2017–2018. The results indicate that the correlation between “dry” extinction coefficient and PM_2.5 is slightly improved compared to the correlation between AOD and PM_2.5, with r coefficient values increasing from 0.12–0.45 to 0.32–0.69. The r of hour-by-hour verification is between 0.69 and 0.85, and the accuracy of the afternoon is higher than that of the morning. Due to the missing rate of AOD in the southwest is very high, this study utilized inverse variance weighting (IVW) gap-filling method combine satellite estimation PM_2.5 and the nested air-quality prediction modeling system (NAQPMS) simulation data to obtain the full-coverage hourly PM_2.5 concentration and analyze a pollution process in the fall and winter. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring and Analysis of Environmental Pollution)

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21 pages, 3412 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Geochemistry of Major and Trace Elements Distribution in Sediments and Soils of Zarafshon River Valley, Western Tajikistan

by Djamshed A. Abdushukurov, Daler Abdusamadzoda, Octavian G. Duliu, Inga Zinicovscaia and Pavel S. Nekhoroshkov

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 2763; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12062763 - 8 Mar 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2184

Abstract

To assess the geochemical features of sedimentary material of Zarafshon river, (Western Tajikistan) catchment basin, the mass fractions of 38 major and trace elements were determined by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) in 2 × 116 paired samples of sediments and soils collected along the Zarafshon River and its main tributaries from the sources to Tajik—Uzbek border. At each collecting location, the distance between sediments and soils’ sampling was no greater than 10 m allowing the studying of the interrelation between sediments and soils. This evidenced a significant similarity between paired soils and sediments’ samples, including the potentially contaminating elements As, Sb and Hg, whose mass fractions in some places were significantly higher than for the Upper Continental Crust (UCC) and North American Shale Composite (NASC), suggesting a common provenience. At the same time, the distribution of major, as well as of incompatible trace elements, Sc, Zr, REE, Th, and U, in spite of geological diversity of the Zarafshon river catchment basin, suggest a possible felsic origin of investigated material. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring and Analysis of Environmental Pollution)

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14 pages, 2373 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Investigation of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Fingerprints of Water and Sediment Samples of the Nestos River Estuary in Northern Greece

by Sophia Mitkidou, Nikolaos Kokkinos, Elissavet Emmanouilidou, Yusuf Yohannah, Thomas Spanos, Christina Chatzichristou and Antoaneta Ene

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1636; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031636 - 4 Feb 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3320

Abstract

The oil and gas industry is definitely considered the main contributor in the energy sector, acting as the lifeblood of our planet. However, environmental contamination by crude oil and petroleum products due to anthropogenic activities is of great concern. Nestos River springs from Bulgaria and has a total length of 234 km, from which 135 km belong on Greek land. It is globally recognized as nature’s miracle accommodating a variety of habitats, flora, and fauna species at the deltaic area protected by the RAMSAR Convention. In the current study, water and sediment samples from three different sites along the river course and other six sites of the delta region and the surrounding sea area were selected in order to investigate the potential environmental impact of the nearby oil and gas industry in the Prinos-Kavala basin that operates over 40 years. The samples were analyzed by fingerprinting techniques using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Crude oil samples and different petroleum products were also analyzed to disclose specific markers (biomarkers) that characterize the different sources of oil spills. The analytical data revealed that the distribution of biomarkers is a valuable tool in oil spill identification as well as in their correlation to suspected sources. Extract ion chromatograms of the reference samples showed significant differences in the distribution of n-alkane, isoprenoid, sterane, triterpane, and dibenzothiophene compounds. The results on the analyzed water and sediment samples bared no evidence of environmental hazards associated with the hydrocarbon exploration and production activities of the neighboring oil and gas company. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring and Analysis of Environmental Pollution)

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15 pages, 11940 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatiotemporal Variation and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Industrialized Urban River Sediments: Fengshan River in Southern Taiwan as a Case Study

by Kuan-Nan Lin, Yee-Cheng Lim, Chiu-Wen Chen, Chih-Feng Chen, Chih-Ming Kao and Cheng-Di Dong

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1013; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031013 - 19 Jan 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2466

Abstract

The sediment pollution index acts as a useful indicator for assessing anthropogenic pollution within river drainage basins. An industrialized urban river, Fengshan River in Kaohsiung City, southern Taiwan has been suffering heavy metal pollution from surrounding factories. In this study, spatial and seasonal variations in heavy metals in sediments from seven sampling sites of Fengshan River were determined to assess sediment pollution status and potential ecological risk using multiple sediment pollution indices. Results showed that the heavy metal concentrations displayed large spatial variations. Severe contamination of heavy metals, especially for Cr, Hg, and Zn in the lower reaches of Fengshan River, may attribute to wastewater discharges from leather processing and metal finishing factories along the river drainage basin. An increase in metal concentrations from upstream to downstream indicated that heavy metals tend to accumulate in tidal reaches, probably as a result of the flocculation effect. Frequent heavy rainfall in the wet season can enhance surface runoff to discharge metal pollutants from non-point sources (scattered factories) into the river. Assessment of multiple pollution indices showed moderately polluted (mCd = 3.9, PLI = 2.6) and considerable ecological risk (RI = 540, mERM_Q = 0.55), indicating Fengshan River sediments, particularly in the lower reaches, are considered toxic and can cause adverse effects to benthic organisms. Organic matters showed a good correlation with heavy metals, which play an important role in the spatiotemporal variations in heavy metal pollutants in the Fengshan River sediments. This study can provide valuable information for river pollution remediation, and urban planning and management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring and Analysis of Environmental Pollution)

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33 pages, 25346 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ecological Conditions of the Lower Dniester and Some Indicators for Assessment of the Hydropower Impact

by Svitlana Kovalyshyna, Tatiana Chuzhekova, Maria Grandova, Eduard Onishchenko, Elena Zubcov, Volodymyr Ukrainskyy, Oleksandr Goncharov, Oxana Munjiu, Mikhailo Nabokin and Antoaneta Ene

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(21), 9900; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11219900 - 22 Oct 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3204

Abstract

The Dniester is one of the largest transboundary rivers of the Black Sea basin, and its lower reaches integrate the influence of climate change and hydropower plant (HPP) impact on the waterway. The decrease in precipitation and average annual air temperature increase and intensive hydroelectric construction have led to a decline in the total water content of the river, during the last 10 years, being below the long-term historical “norm”. The shifts in the river flow result in multidirectional seasonal dynamics of nutrient concentrations. During the modern period, a stabilization of nutrient concentrations takes place, being lower than at the peak of eutrophication in the 1970s–1980s, but higher than in the natural flow period. The construction of reservoirs leads to a long-term decline in silica concentrations, continuing in the modern period. The concentration of heavy metals and metalloids in water and bottom sediments of the river generally corresponds to the ecological status of “Moderate”. Biological communities show a high β-diversity of microalgae, but low diversity of plankton and benthic invertebrates. Biological communities respond to the impact of HPP in both the short- and long-term. Hydroelectric dams change the bioavailability of nutrients downstream which, in the long-term, causes shifts in phytoplankton composition, especially the reduction of Bacillariophyta due to the lack of silicates that are deposited in reservoirs. However, in the short-term, after the discharge from the HPP dam, the concentration of silicates and the proportion of diatoms increase. Long-term changes also include a decline in the proportion of Rotifera and an increase in Copepoda in the total abundance of zooplankton and the unification of the benthic community with an increase in the biomass of gastropods in the area, which can be considered as indicators of the impact of hydroelectric power plants. The saprobity index, calculated both for zooplankton and macrozoobenthos, characterised the water as moderately polluted; benthic biotic indexes (Biological monitoring working party (BMWP), Belgian Biotic Index (BBI), Danish Stream Fauna Index (DSFI)) calculated on macrozoobenthos described the condition as “low” quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring and Analysis of Environmental Pollution)

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15 pages, 6037 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integrated Assessment of Surface Water Quality in Danube River Chilia Branch

by Liliana Teodorof, Antoaneta Ene, Adrian Burada, Cristina Despina, Daniela Seceleanu-Odor, Cristian Trifanov, Orhan Ibram, Edward Bratfanof, Mihaela-Iuliana Tudor, Marian Tudor, Irina Cernisencu, Lucian Puiu Georgescu and Catalina Iticescu

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(19), 9172; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11199172 - 2 Oct 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2092

Abstract

The Chilia branch is the north branch of the Danube River at the Romania-Ukraine border in the Danube Delta; it is a complex system with economic and ecological values. The surface water quality is a major concern and monitoring programs have been developed at the national and international level. The objective of this study was to evaluate the water quality of the Chilia branch in different sampling points from the mouth to the discharge in the Black Sea. The assessment of water quality was done at the individual level taking into account the nutrient concentrations and the standard limits for good ecological status and at integrative levels, using CCME WQI. The longitudinal distribution of Chilia branch water quality was done using GIS method. A total of 106 water samples were collected between 2013 and 2019 from five sampling points. At the individual level, the Chilia branch has a good ecological status except for its levels of total nitrogen, due to the organic nitrogen contribution in 2015. In 90% of nutrient concentrations, low values predominate and high values are considered extreme; only in 10% do high values predominate and low values are considered extreme concentrations. In equal percentages, 50% of the nutrient concentrations have a high degree of heterogeneity and the other 50% of concentration values are very close to the average values, with a high degree of homogeneity. CCME WQI method indicated that 39.93% of surface waters from the Chilia branch had an excellent quality, 45.45% a good quality, and only 14.62% a fair quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring and Analysis of Environmental Pollution)

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26 pages, 5621 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Monitoring of Heavy Metals and Nitrogen Concentrations in Mosses in the Vicinity of an Integrated Iron and Steel Plant: Case Study in Czechia

by Irena Pavlíková, Oldřich Motyka, Vítězslav Plášek and Jan Bitta

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(17), 8262; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11178262 - 6 Sep 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3486

Abstract

A biomonitoring study using terrestrial mosses was performed in the vicinity of an Integrated Iron and Steel plant near the Czech–Polish border. Moss samples were collected in two seasons (June, October) in order to embrace the effect of the heating season on the pollution levels. The contents of metals (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, As, Sb and Hg) were determined using the Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES), Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) and contents of N, C, H via elemental analysis. The influence of the proximity of the factory, the heating season and modelled concentrations of particulate matter <10 µm (PM₁₀) on determined concentrations of elements were studied via multivariate statistical methods using clr-transformed data. This approach led to the first-time demonstration that not only the distance from the industrial source but also the sampling season and PM₁₀ concentrations significantly affect the elemental content in mosses; the association of the emissions from the source and the determined concentrations of elements in moss samples were more evident outside the heating season (October). The analyses of transformed data revealed the association of Fe, Cr, V, As and Al with the coarse particles and their dominant spatial distribution depending on the prevailing wind directions. The spatial distribution of Mn, Zn and Cd, which are carried by fine particles, appears to depend more on atmospheric dispersion and long-range transport, and, thus, these metals should be considered weak markers of the pollution load in the close surroundings of an industrial source. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring and Analysis of Environmental Pollution)

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16 pages, 5745 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Natural Radioactivity, Radiological Hazard and Petrographical Studies on Aswan Granites Used as Building Materials in Egypt

by Nasser M. Moghazy, Amira M. El-Tohamy, Mona M. Fawzy, Hamdy A. Awad, Hesham M. H. Zakaly, Shams A. M. Issa and Antoaneta Ene

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(14), 6471; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11146471 - 13 Jul 2021

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3470

Abstract

The present study was carried out on commercial types of Aswan granite used as building and decorative materials. Nearly 29 granitic rocks samples from 11 classes (black Aswan, red Aswan, dark Rosa, light Rosa, yellow Verdi, grey Shirka, Gandolla, Forsan, red Nefertiti, Royal, and white Halayeb) were collected from three stations near Aswan city for petrographical description and assessment of natural radioactivity. The petrographical study of granites was conducted by polarized-light microscope in order to determine their mineralogical composition and investigate their texture; the activity of the natural radionuclides ²³⁸U, Ra²²⁶, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K was measured by gamma-ray spectrometry with a NaI(Tl) detector. The average values of the activities, 52.2 Bq kg⁻¹, 57.8 Bq kg⁻¹, 31.2 Bq kg⁻¹, and 1055.7 Bq kg⁻¹ of U-238, Th-232, Ra-226, and K-40, respectively, were higher than that the world average values of 35 Bq kg⁻¹, 30 Bq kg⁻¹ and 400 Bq kg⁻¹ for ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K, respectively, according to the recommended levels from UNSCEAR reports. The minimum and maximum values obtained were compared with the value ranges from other locations in the Eastern Desert, highlighting the fact that that the maximum values obtained in this work are higher than those in other areas. According to the radiological hazards indices results, most samples lie in the permissible level ranges, suggesting their favorability for use as building materials. In contrast to that, some samples have some environmental parameters higher than the international levels, indicating their unsuitability as building materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring and Analysis of Environmental Pollution)

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Review

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43 pages, 2338 KiB

Open AccessReview

Emerging and Persistent Pollutants in the Aquatic Ecosystems of the Lower Danube Basin and North West Black Sea Region—A Review

by Carmen Lidia Chiţescu, Antoaneta Ene, Elisabeta-Irina Geana, Aida Mihaela Vasile and Corina Teodora Ciucure

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(20), 9721; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11209721 - 18 Oct 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4343

Abstract

The tremendous impact of natural and anthropogenic organic and inorganic substances continuously released into the environment requires a better understanding of the chemical status of aquatic ecosystems. Water contamination monitoring studies were performed for different classes of substances in different regions of the world. Reliable analytical methods and exposure assessment are the basis of a better management of water resources. Our research comprised publications from 2010 regarding the Lower Danube and North West Black Sea region, considering regulated and unregulated persistent and emerging pollutants. The frequently reported ones were: pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole, and trimethoprim), pesticides (atrazine, carbendazim, and metolachlor), endocrine disruptors—bisphenol A and estrone, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorinated pesticides, and heavy metals (Cd, Zn, Pb, Hg, Cu, Cr). Seasonal variations were reported for both organic and inorganic contaminants. Microbial pollution was also a subject of the present review. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring and Analysis of Environmental Pollution)

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