Levels of Phthalates, Bisphenol-A, Nonylphenol, and Microplastics in Fish in the Estuaries of Northern Taiwan and the Impact on Human Health

Abstract

Due to the sparsity in knowledge, we investigated the presence of various estrogenic endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EEDCs), including phthalates (PAEs), bisphenol-A (BPA), and nonylphenol (NP), as well as microplastics (MPs) in samples of the most widely consumed fish collected from different estuaries in northern Taiwan. We then proceeded to determine the likely contribution that this exposure has on the potential for health impacts in humans following consumption of the fish. Six hundred fish caught from five river estuaries (producing 130 pooled samples) were analyzed to determine how different factors (such as the river, benthic, pelagic, and migratory species) influence EEDCs’ contamination and the possible impacts on human health following typical consumption patterns. The predominant EEDCs was diethyl phthalates (DEP), bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalates (DEHP), and di-iso-nonylphthalate (DINP) in fish, present at 52.9 ± 77.3, 45.3 ± 79.8, and 42.5 ± 79.3 ng/g dry weight (d.w.), respectively. Residual levels of NP, BPA, and MPs in the fish were 17.4 ± 29.1 and 1.50 ± 2.20 ng/g d.w. and 0.185 ± 0.338 mg/g d.w., respectively. EEDCs and MPs levels varied widely among the five river estuaries sampled due, in part, to differences in habitat types and the associated diversity of fish species sampled. For DEP, the Lao-Jie River and pelagic environments produced the most severely contaminated fish species, respectively. DEP residues were also associated with the burden of MPs in the fish. Based on our analysis, we predict no substantial direct human health risk by EEDCs based on typical consumption rates of estuarine fish by the Taiwanese people. However, other sources of EEDC exposure cannot be ignored.

Survey on the Environmental Risks of Bisphenol A and Its Relevant Regulations in Taiwan: An Environmental Endocrine-Disrupting Chemical of Increasing Concern

“…Due to the large production and use of BPA in Taiwan, the government has funded academic scholars to monitor the BPA levels in the environment since the early 2000s. Under the cross-ministerial joint venture, the environment, health, agriculture, and industry authorities in the central government, including Ministry of Environment (MOE) [ 41 ], Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) [ 28 ], Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) [ 42 ], Council of Agriculture (COA) [ 43 ] and National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) [ 44 , 45 ], shall work together to develop preventive strategies to solve EDC issues like environmental distribution monitoring. In the previous study [ 1 ], the levels of BPA in the water and sediment environments before 2012 were summarized, indicating higher levels of BPA in river water and sediment samples from heavy industrial parks (e.g., petrochemical zone) and urbanized areas.…”

Simultaneous Quantification of Bisphenol-A and 4-Tert-Octylphenol in the Live Aquaculture Feed Artemia franciscana and in Its Culture Medium Using HPLC-DAD

“…The occurrence of high levels of BPA and alkylphenols in the marine environment has been documented in aquaculture facilities which are in the vicinity of industrial or urban activity [ 92 ]. The BPA values amounted to 37 ng/L in mussels cultured in Thailand [ 92 ], to 1.5 ng/g d. w. in fish cultured in Taiwan [ 93 ], to 4.2 ng/g in the muscle of fish cultured in Malaysia [ 94 ], or 272 ng/g d. w. in the North Atlantic Ocean [ 24 ]. The relevant t- octylphenol concentration was 16 ng/ g d. w. in mussels cultured in Malaysia [ 94 ], while the occurrence of the alkylphenol nonylphenol has been documented in the sediments of the Northern Aegean, indicating a risk for the organisms that live in it [ 95 ].…”

Prevalence of microplastics, antibiotic resistant genes and microplastic associated biofilms in estuary - A review

“…The important sources of plastic pollution are agricultural mulching [59], sewage sludge disposal [60], wastewater treatment plants [61], informal landfills [62], and biowaste compost [63]. MPs are found in a variety of terrestrial environments, including home and garden soils [64], flood plain soils [65], remote high mountain soils [66], and industrial soils [67], as well as surface and deep ocean waters [68], lakes [69,70], mangroves [71], shorelines [72], and estuaries [73][74][75]. The studies conducted to examine the distribution of different sizes, forms, and types of MPs in estuaries across the world are presented in Table 1.…”