Occurrence, profiles, and ecotoxicity of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances and their alternatives in global apex predators: A critical review

Certain poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) exhibit significant bioaccumulation/biomagnification behaviors in ecosystems. PFASs, such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) and related precursors, have elicited attention from both public and national regulatory agencies, which has resulted in worldwide restrictions on their production and use. Apex predators occupy the top trophic positions in ecosystems and are most affected by the biomagnification behavior of PFASs. Meanwhile, the long lifespans of apex predators also lead to the high body burden of PFASs. The high body burden of PFASs might be linked to adverse health effects and even pose a potential threat to their reproduction. As seen in previous reviews of PFASs, knowledge is lacking between the current stage of the PFAS body burden and related effects in apex predators. This review summarized PFAS occurrence in global apex predators, including information on the geographic distribution, levels, profiles, and tissue distribution, and discussed the trophic transfer and ecotoxicity of PFASs. In the case where legacy PFASs were restricted under international convention, the occurrence of novel PFASs, such as 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (6:2 Cl-PFESA) and perfluoroethylcyclohexane sulfonate (PFECHS), in apex predators arose as an emerging issue. Future studies should develop an effective analytical method and focus on the toxicity and trophic transfer behavior of novel PFASs.     

城市红树林生态系统健康评价与管理对策——以粤港澳大湾区为例

为解明粤港澳大湾区城市红树林生态系统健康状况,基于PSR (压力-状态-响应)模型和层次分析法,构建了城市红树林生态系统健康评价指标体系,对大湾区的香港米埔、深圳福田、广州南沙和珠海淇澳岛4个典型城市红树林进行生态系统健康评价,识别健康问题并提出管理对策.结果表明:红树林生态系统健康指数(EHI)为淇澳岛(3.05,健康)>米埔(3.03,健康)>南沙(2.54,亚健康)>福田(2.13,亚健康).就压力指标而言,米埔和福田红树林的自然压力源为病虫害和生物入侵,人为压力源为人口、经济相关指标及城镇生活污水排放,福田还受到工业废水排放的压力.就状态指标而言,红树林受海水营养盐污染严重,南沙和淇澳岛红树林存在严重的有机污染和重金属污染;红树植物多样性(除南沙红树林外)和大型底栖动物生物多样性偏低,但鸟类生物多样性处于较高水平.就响应指标而言,福田和南沙红树林由于面积小而生态服务功能偏低,南沙红树林的管理水平不足.粤港澳大湾区城市红树林存在的主要健康问题包括生态失衡导致的病虫害与生物入侵、受纳外源污染导致的环境污染、栖息地破坏导致的生物多样性下降的共性问题及自身特征与管护水平差异导致的其它个性问题.针对上述健康问题,建议:以缓解生态失衡为目标高效监测并推广基于自然法则的生态恢复,以源头控制为根本整体改善环境质量,以保护生物多样性为重点提高红树林生态系统稳定性,因地制宜充分发挥城市红树林经济-社会-生态效益.     

水源地周边土壤重金属分布特征及潜在风险-以深圳市为例

以深圳市水源地周边三种不同类型土壤(赤红壤､红壤､水稻田土)为研究对象,选择具有较高环境含量且毒性较强的Zn､Pb､As为目标,探究其在三种土壤剖面淋溶层､淀积层和母质层(A、B和C层)中的分布特征及赋存形态,同时分析重金属含量､赋存形态与土壤理化性质的相关性,并利用潜在生态危害指数法和潜在迁移指数法从重金属全量和赋存形态两个角度对土壤重金属的生态风险水平进行评估.结果表明:土壤重金属Zn､Pb､As在三类土壤各层中含量较高,但均低于当地土壤环境质量背景值,重金属含量受当地土壤成岩母质影响较大.形态分析表明三种重金属在三类土壤中均以残渣态为主,但红壤中可还原态Pb含量较高,在低pH时易转化为弱酸可溶态,而后释放并迁移.相关性分析表明Zn､Pb的全量与有机质含量呈极显著正相关,可还原态Zn与pH呈显著正相关,Pb和As的弱酸可溶态与可还原态显著正相关,黏粒和粉粒含量对Pb和As的形态分布造成不同程度的影响.三种重金属潜在生态危害级别均为轻微,对水源地安全潜在生态风险影响较小;重金属迁移能力大小在不同土类中依次为红壤土>赤红壤>水稻田土,元素本身迁移能力强弱依次为Zn>As>Pb;赤红壤和水稻田土A层Zn迁移能力最强,B层As最强,C层Zn､Pb､As均较弱;红壤中A层迁移能力Zn最强,B层Zn､Pb､As均较强,C层Zn､Pb､As均较弱.     

Soil contamination with antibiotics in a typical peri-urban area in eastern China: Seasonal variation, risk assessment, and microbial responses

The prevalence and persistence of antibiotics in soils has become an emerging environmental issue and an increasing threat to soil security and global public health. The problem is more severe in areas undergoing rapid urbanization; however, the ecological risks of antibiotics, seasonal variability, and associated soil microbial responses in peri-urban soils have not been well-explored. The seasonal soil sampling campaigns were conducted in a typical peri-urban watershed in eastern China to investigate distribution of antibiotics. The results demonstrated higher mean concentrations of most antibiotic compounds in winter than in summer in peri-urban soils. The seasonal variations of norfloxacin, enrofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin were more significant than those of other antibiotics, due to their higher migration ability and bioavailability. An ecological risk assessment demonstrated that chlortetracycline, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, and ofloxacin can pose high risks to soil microorganisms. Furthermore, the coexistence of multiple antibiotics obviously poses higher risks than individual compounds. A redundancy analysis demonstrated that tetracyclines mainly showed negative correlations with Firmicutes and Chloroflexi, and quinolones showed obviously negative correlations with Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, and Nitrospirae, suggesting potential inhibition from antibiotics on biological activities or biodegradation processes. However, the persistence of antibiotics in soil results in a significant decrease in bacterial diversity and a change in dominant species. Our results provide an overview of the seasonal variability of antibiotics and the associated effects on bacterial communities in peri-urban soils. The results can provide scientific guidance on decreasing soil contamination with antibiotics to enhance soil security in similar areas.     

SeaNine 211 as antifouling biocide: A coastal pollutant of emerging concern

SeaNine 211, with 4,5-dichloro-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (DCOIT) being the biocidal ingredient, is a widely-used antifouling agent to deter the undesirable biofouling phenomenon. It is commercially promoted as an environmentally acceptable antifoulant mainly due to its claimed rapid degradation in marine environment. However, increasing researches document varying degradative kinetics in different environments, proving that SeaNine 211 is actually not degraded equally fast around the world (half-life between < 1 day and 13.1 days). Large-scale application of SeaNine 211 in antifouling coatings has also caused global contamination of marine environment in various compartments. For example, accumulation of SeaNine 211 is detected as high as 3700 ng/L in Spanish seawater and 281 ng/g dry weight in Korean sediment. Considering that SeaNine 211 is highly toxic against non-target marine organisms, environmental risk assessment finds that most marine organisms are endangered by SeaNine 211 in worst-case scenario. Its endocrine disrupting and reproductive impairing effects at environmentally worst-case concentrations further constitute a long-term threat to the maintenance of population stability. Therefore, in the light of the varying degradability, environmental pollution and high toxicity, especially the endocrine disruption, SeaNine 211 as an antifouling agent is likely to cause non-negligible damages to the marine ecosystem. There is an urgency to perform a systematic ecological risk assessment of SeaNine 211 to prevent the potential impacts on the health of marine environment. A regular monitoring also becomes necessary to place the usage of antifouling biocides under control.     

Zebrafish embryo toxicity of 15 chlorinated, brominated, and iodinated disinfection by-products

Disinfection to protect human health occurs at drinking water and wastewater facilities through application of non-selective oxidants including chlorine. Oxidants also transform organic material and form disinfection by-products (DBPs), many of which are halogenated and cyto- and genotoxic. Only a handful of assays have been used to compare DBP toxicity, and researchers are unsure which DBP(s) drive the increased cancer risk associated with drinking chlorinated water. The most extensive data set employs an in vitro model cell, Chinese hamster ovary cells. Traditionally, most DBP research focuses on the threat to human health, but the effects on aquatic species exposed to DBPs in wastewater effluents remain ill defined. We present the developmental toxicity for 15 DBPs and a chlorinated wastewater to a model aquatic vertebrate, zebrafish. Mono-halogenated DBPs followed the in vivo toxicity rank order: acetamides > acetic acids > acetonitriles ~ nitrosamines, which agrees well with previously published mammalian in vitro data. Di- and tri-halogenated acetonitriles were more toxic than their mono-halogenated analogues, and bromine- and iodine-substituted DBPs tended to be more toxic than chlorinated analogues. No zebrafish development effects were observed after exposure to undiluted or non-concentrated, chlorinated wastewater. We find zebrafish development to be a viable in vivo alternative or confirmatory assay to mammalian in vitro cell assays.     

关于建设项目生态补偿的思考

作为一种解决环境保护与经济社会发展矛盾的重要经济手段,生态补偿越来越受到人们关注。建设项目生态补偿是生态补偿的一个重要领域,但相对于其他领域而言,理论和实践研究均相对较少。结合实际案例研究,文章初次提出了建设项目生态补偿概念、原则及应注意的问题。最后,建议加强两方面研究,建设项目生态补偿内涵和范畴确定;建设项目生态补偿方式及标准确定。     

县域产业结构转型升级对策研究——以生态文明为视角

目前,生态文明视角下县域经济产业结构调整面临着工业化快速发展和生态环境日益恶化的局面,面对新的挑战,一方面必须大力发展县域绿色经济、建立县域生态消费保障机制;另一方面要转变传统产业发展模式,通过以产业结构重组实现产业结构生态化,推进生态产业发展,从而创造出一种由生态产业支撑的循环经济发展模式。     

生态环境空间分级管控策略研究

生态环境空间分级管控是为了确保各级尺度下的生态环境空间充分发挥其生态服务功能所采取的管理控制手段与途径,同时给城市生态环境空间的管控提供依据,在不同尺度下,生态环境空间需按照不同精细度的管控方法和不同的土地空间单位进行分级,生态环境空间分级管控主要包括:省域尺度生态环境空间的管控、市域尺度生态环境空间管控和在主城区尺度下生态环境空间管控。通过3种尺度不同管控方法和策略的有效衔接,从宏观、中观和微观3个层次保证了生态规划的完整性和连续性,使生态系统服务真正发挥其价值。     

生态保护红线在实践过程中的问题剖析——以湖北宜昌为例

宜昌市生态保护红线于2015年1月正式颁布实施,文章结合宜昌市生态保护红线的应用情况,剖析了生态功能红线、水环境质量红线及大气环境质量红线在实践过程中存在的主要问题,同时,对生态保护红线管理机制需要解决的重点问题进行了阐述。