Legacy and Emerging Pollutants in an Urban River Stretch and Effects on the Bacterioplankton Community

Abstract

River contamination is due to a chemical mixture of point and diffuse pollution, which can compromise water quality. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and emerging compounds such as pharmaceuticals and antibiotics are frequently found in rivers flowing through big cities. This work evaluated the presence of fifteen priority PAHs, eight pharmaceuticals including the antibiotics ciprofloxacin (CIP) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX), together with their main antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) and the structure of the natural bacterioplankton community, in an urbanized stretch of the river Danube. SMX and diclofenac were the most abundant chemicals found (up to 20 ng/L). ARGs were also found to be detected as ubiquitous contaminants. A principal component analysis of the overall microbiological and chemical data revealed which contaminants were correlated with the presence of certain bacterial groups. The highest concentrations of naphthalene were associated with Deltaproteobacteria and intI1 gene. Overall, the most contaminated site was inside the city and located immediately downstream of a wastewater treatment plant. However, both the sampling points before the river reached the city and in its southern suburban area were still affected by emerging and legacy contamination. The diffuse presence of antibiotics and ARGs causes particular concern because the river water is used for drinking purposes.

Seasonal distribution, source identification, health and eco-toxicological risk assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water and sediment from the Danube River in Hungary

“…Comparing the ndings from the long-term research by Nagy, et al [29] over the years, it can be noticed that concentrations of PAHs in water and sediment decreased dramatically. Moving to the second part of the PAHs level examination in the Danube River which was in the capital city, Visca, et al [31] evaluated the contamination in terms of PAHs level in the Danube River (only water samples) passing through Budapest with three locations inside the city. The samplings were performed in April 2017, November 2017, and October 2018.…”

“…The samplings were performed in April 2017, November 2017, and October 2018. It should be mentioned; however, that information about the PAHs range is missing [31]. Caracciolo, et al [32] also conducted a study to monitor the PAHs level in Budapest at three different points without, however, revealing the coordinates of those sampling points.…”

“…The overall conclusion regarding the studies conducted for measuring the PAHs level in the Danube River within the framework frame of Hungarian borders is that most of these investigations were conducted in the upper part of the river, and with the latest sampling campaign in the period of 2014-2015 [30]. Other studies have reported PAHs level in the area of Budapest, however, with unclear conclusions due to missing information such as the PAHs ranges, sampling locations, and overlooking the sediments part, which is considered an important PAHs sink [31,32]. With a view to narrowing the gap in knowledge regarding PAHs concentration in the Danube River, the present investigation was designed to adequately investigate the spatial and temporal PAHs contamination of the river basin in Hungary.…”

Analytical Perspective and Modeling of Breakthrough Curves for a Fixed-Bed Column of Modified Dolomite by Calcination and Ultrasound for Phosphate Immobilization: Experimental Design, Bayesian Statistics, and Data Prediction

“…Phosphate is a typical water contaminant that can be found in industrial discharge, residential wastewater, and agricultural runoff. − The process of eutrophication, in which an excess of nutrients leads to an excessive growth of algae and other aquatic plants, can be triggered by excessive phosphate levels in water. This process lowers the water’s quality by reducing its oxygen content and harming aquatic life, , decreasing its quality. − …”

Seasonal distribution, source identification, health and eco-toxicological risk assessment of PAHs in water and sediment from the Danube River in Hungary

“…The overall conclusion regarding the studies conducted for measuring the PAHs level in the Danube River within the framework frame of Hungarian borders is that most of these investigations were conducted in the upper part of the river, and with the latest sampling campaign in the period of 2014-2015 (Nagy et al, 2018). Other studies have reported PAHs level in the area of Budapest, however, with unclear conclusions due to missing information such as the PAHs ranges, sampling locations, and overlooking the sediments part, which is considered an important PAHs sink (Visca et al, 2021;Caracciolo et al, 2019). With a view to narrowing the gap in knowledge regarding PAHs concentration in the Danube River, the present investigation was designed to adequately investigate the spatial and temporal PAHs contamination of the river basin in Hungary.…”