Yangtze Three Gorges Reservoir, China: A holistic assessment of organic pollution, mutagenic effects of sediments and genotoxic impacts on fish

Besides obvious benefits, the Three Gorges Dam''s construction resulted in new pollution scenarios with the potentials to threaten the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) ecosystem. In order to record organic contamination, to find links to ecotoxicological impacts and to serve as reference for ensuing monitoring, several sites in the TGR area were screened applying the triad approach with additional lines-of-evidence as a holistic assessment method. Sediments and the benthic fish species Pelteobagrus vachellii were sampled in 2011 and 2012 to determine organic pollution levels, mutagenic potentials and genotoxic impacts. Two regional hot-spots near the cities of Chongqing and Kaixian were identified and further investigated in 2013. Only polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) could be detected in sediments in 2011 (165–1653 ng/g), emphasizing their roles as key pollutants of the area. Their ubiquity was confirmed at Chongqing (150–433 ng/g) and Kaixian (127–590 ng/g) in 2013. Concentrations were comparable to other major Chinese and German rivers. However, the immense sediment influx suggested a deposition of 216–636 kg PAH/day (0.2–0.6 mg PAH/(m²·day)), indicating an ecotoxicological risk. PAH source analysis highlighted primary impacts of combustion sources on the more industrialized upper TGR section, whereas petrogenic sources dominated the mid-low section. Furthermore, sediment extracts from several sites exhibited significant activities of frameshift promutagens in the Ames fluctuation assay. Additionally, significant genotoxic impairments in erythrocytes of P. vachellii were detected (Chongqing/Kaixian), demonstrating the relevance of genotoxicity as an important mode of action in the TGR''s fish. PAHs, their derivatives and non-target compounds are considered as main causative agents.