Persistence and distribution of 4‐nonylphenol following repeated application to littoral enclosures

Abstract

The persistence and distribution of 4‐nonylphenol (NP) were monitored for 440 d, following application to 18 littoral enclosures (4 × 7–8 m), situated in a 2‐ha mesotrophic pond near Duluth, Minnesota. Application was accomplished by subsurface, gravity‐fed injection over a 20‐d period, with a 2‐d frequency, to achieve nominal aqueous concentrations of 0, 3, 30, 100, and 300 μg/L. Mean maximum concentrations in the water over the 20‐d application period ranged from 75.7 to 81.0% of nominal for the three highest treatment levels and was 181% of nominal at the lowest treatment level. Water was the major compartment, on a mass balance basis, for NP until 2 to 4 d after the application period, with a mean time to 50% dissipation (DT50) of 0.74 d and a mean time to 95% dissipation (DT95) of 13.8 d. 4‐Nonylphenol partitioned to enclosure wall material, macrophytes, and sediment within 2 d of initial application. Macrophytes accumulated maximum NP concentrations of 11.5 and 139 mg/kg 1 to 2 d after the application period at the 30‐ and 300‐μg/L treatment levels, respectively. Mean DT50 and DT95 estimates of NP persistence in/on the macrophytes were 10.3 and 189 d, respectively. Sediment from the 30‐ and 300‐μg/L treatments accumulated maximum dry weight NP concentrations of 2.74 and 27.4 mg/kg, respectively within 20 to 48 d of the first application. The mean sediment porewater NP concentration was 18.6 μg/L for the period 2 to 34 d after application 1 at the 300‐μg/L treatment. The sediment was the primary sink for NP 440 d after the initial application with a concentration of 1.97 mg/kg at the 300‐μg/L treatment. Mean sediment DT50 and DT95 values were 66.0 and 401 d, respectively, indicating a long‐term persistence of NP. Ecocores collected 1 d after the final NP application did not show significant decreases in sediment NP concentration during a 55‐d incubation period, corroborating the NP persistence observed in the littoral enclosures.

Alkylphenols in Surface Sediments of the Gulf of Gdansk (Baltic Sea)

“…However, such correlations were observed for 4-nonylphenol (0.76 >  r  > 0.96, p  < 0.03). According to Heinis et al (1999), the half-life time for 4-nonylphenol in anaerobic conditions is 66 days, while 401 days are required for a complete breakdown of this compound and 95 % of its removal. When oxygen is involved, the decomposition of 4-nonylphenol occurs more rapidly, with nearly 50 % of this compound decomposing within 10 days (Ying et al 2003).…”

Estrogen Receptor Agonist Fate during Wastewater and Biosolids Treatment Processes: A Mass Balance Analysis

“…However, the E2-Eq of the liquid fraction did not change as treatment progressed, suggesting that the recycle streams from anaerobically digested biosolids will contribute relatively small amounts of E2-Eq to the wastewater treatment process relative to the sewage. The persistence of APEO and metabolites (NP and OP) have been reported in anaerobically treated biosolids and sediments (12,27,47). Based on measurements reported by LaGuardia et al (27), anaerobically digested biosolids had average OP and NP concentrations of 10.4 and 754 mg/kg TSS, respectively.…”

Determination of Nonylphenol, Octylphenol and Bisphenol-A in Water and Sediments of Two Major Rivers in Lagos, Nigeria

“…The distribution of nonylphenol in aquatic environment in several rivers in Europe and USA has been reported where it has been found to be mainly concentrated in sediment [3,5,[8][9][10]. Various studies have also confirmed that nonylphenol present risks to aquatic organisms, especially zooplanktons and benthic macro-invertebrates in areas of high chronic exposure to high concentrations [11,12]. They have so far been found to exert toxicity and estrogenic effects on aquatic organisms with attendant effects on human health [13].…”