Abstract
Samples of water and sediments were collected from 24 urban wetlands in Melbourne, Australia, in April 2010, and tested for more than 90 pesticides using a range of gas chromatographic (GC) and liquid chromatographic (LC) techniques, sample ‘hormonal’ activity using yeast-based recombinant receptor-reporter gene bioassays, and trace metals using spectroscopic techniques. At the time of sampling, there was almost no estrogenic activity in the water column. Twenty-three different pesticide residues were observed in one or more water samples from the 24 wetlands; chemicals observed at more than 40 % of sites were simazine (100 %), atrazine (79 %), and metalaxyl and terbutryn (46 %). Using the toxicity unit (TU) concept, less than 15 % of the detected pesticides were considered to pose an individual, short-term risk to fish or zooplankton in the ponds and wetlands. However, one pesticide (fenvalerate) may have posed a possible short-term risk to fish (log10TUf > −3), and three pesticides (azoxystrobin, fenamiphos and fenvalerate) may have posed a risk to zooplankton (logTUzp between −2 and −3); all the photosystem II (PSII) inhibiting herbicides may have posed a risk to primary producers in the ponds and wetlands (log10TUap and/or log10TUalg > -3). The wetland sediments were contaminated with 16 different pesticides; no chemicals were observed at more than one third of sites, but based on frequency of detection and concentrations, bifenthrin (33 %, maximum 59 μg/kg) is the priority insecticide of concern for the sediments studied. Five sites returned a TU greater than the possible effect threshold (i.e. log10TU > 1) as a result of bifenthrin contamination of their sediments. Most sediments did not exceed Australian sediment quality guideline levels for trace metals. However, more than half of the sites had threshold effect concentration quotients (TECQ) values >1 for Cu (58 %), Pb (50 %), Ni (67 %) and Zn (63 %), and 75 % of sites had mean probable effect concentration quotients (PECQ) >0.2, suggesting that the collected sediments may have been having some impact on sediment-dwelling organisms.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allinson M, Shiraishi F, Salzman SA, Allinson G (2010) In vitro and immunological assessment of the estrogenic activity and concentrations of 17β-estradiol, estrone and ethinyl estradiol in treated effluent from forty-five waste water treatment plants in Victoria, Australia. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 58:576–586
Allinson G, Bui A, Zhang P, Rose G, Wightwick AM, Allinson M, Pettigrove V (2014) Investigation of 10 herbicides in surface waters of a horticultural production catchment in south-eastern Australia. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 67(3):358–373
ANZECC and ARMCANZ (2000) Australian and New Zealand guidelines for fresh and marine water quality. Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council and Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand, Canberra
APHA (2005) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 21st edn. American Public Health Association, American Waterworks Association, Washington
APVMA (2014a) Final pesticide and veterinary medicines product sales 2012-13 Financial Year. Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No APVMA 4, Tuesday 25 February 2014
APVMA (2014b) PUBCRIS—Public Chemical Registration Information System. Sourced from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority at https://portal.apvma.gov.au/pubcris. Last accessed 21 May 2014
Baas J, Jager T, Kooijman SALM (2009) A model to analyze effects of complex mixtures on survival. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 72:669–676
Bollmann UE, Vollertsen J, Carmeliet J, Bester K (2014) Dynamics of biocide emissions from buildings in a suburban stormwater catchment—concentrations, mass loads and emission processes. Water Res 56:66–76
Bundschuh M, Goedkoop W, Kreuger J (2014) Evaluation of pesticide monitoring strategies in agricultural streams based on the toxic-unit concept—experiences from long-term measurements. Sci Total Environ 484:84–91
Carew ME, Pettigrove V, Cox RL, Hoffmann AA (2007) The response of Chironomidae to sediment pollution and other environmental characteristics in urban wetlands. Freshw Biol 52:2444–2462
Chon H-S, Ohandja D-G, Voulvoulis N (2012) The role of sediments as a source of metals in river catchments. Chemosphere 88:1250–1256
CSIRO (1999) Urban stormwater: best practice environmental management guidelines. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood
DeLorenzo ME, Thompson B, Cooper E, Moore J, Fulton MH (2012) A long-term monitoring study of chlorophyll, microbial contaminants, and pesticides in a coastal residential stormwater pond and its adjacent tidal creek. Environ Monit Assess 184:343–359
Ding Y, Harwood AD, Foslund HM, Lydy MJ (2010) Distribution and toxicity of sediment-associated pesticides in urban and agricultural waterways from Illinois, USA. Environ Toxicol Chem 29(1):149–157
European Commission (2011) Implementing Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards uniform principles for evaluation and authorisation of plant protection products. Off J Eur L155:127–175
Gillom RJ, Barbash JE, Crawford CG, Hamilton PA, Martin JD, Nakagaki N, Nowell LH, Scot JC, Stackleberg PE, Thelin GP, Wolock DM (2006) The quality of our nation’s waters—pesticides in the nation’s streams and groundwater, 1992 - 2001. U.S Geological Survey Circular 1291. United States Geological Survey, Reston
Gregoire C, Payraudeau S, Domange N (2010) Use and fate of 17 pesticides applied on a vineyard catchment. Int J Environ Anal Chem 90:406–420
Hall LW Jr, Anderson RD (2014) Spatial analysis of bifenthrin sediment concentrations in California waterbodies from 2001 to 2010: identification of toxic and non-toxic areas. Hum Ecol Risk Assess Int J 20(2):497–509
Hansen PD, Dizer H, Hock B, Marx A, Sherry J, McMaster M, Blaise C (1998) Vitellogenin—a biomarker for endocrine disruptors. Trends Anal Chem 17:448–451
Hladik ML, Kuivila KM (2012) Pyrethroid insecticides in bed sediments from urban and agricultural streams across the United States. J Environ Monit 14:1838–1845
Horowitz AJ (1991) A primer on sediment-trace element chemistry, 2nd edn. Lewis Publishers, Chelsea
Kemble NE, Hardesty DK, Ingersoll CG, Kunz JL, Sibley PK, Calhoun DL, Gilliom RJ, Kuivila KM, Nowell LH, Moran PW (2013) Contaminants in stream sediments from seven United States metropolitan areas: part II—sediment toxicity to the amphipod Hyalella azteca and the midge Chironomus dilutes. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 64:52–64
Kinnberg K (2003) Evaluation of in vitro assays for determination of estrogenic activity in the environment (No. 43). Danish Environmental Protection Agency, Danish Ministry of the Environment
Lahnsteiner F, Berger B, Kletzl M, Weismann T (2006) Effect of 17β-estradiol on gamete quality and maturation in two salmonid species. Aquat Toxicol 79:124–131
Lao W, Tiefenthaler L, Greenstein DJ, Maruya KA, Bay SM, RitterK SK (2012) Pyrethroids in southern California coastal sediments. Environ Toxicol Chem 31(7):1649–1656
Liess M, Carsten Von Der Ohe PC (2005) Analyzing effects of pesticides on invertebrate communities in streams. Environ Toxicol Chem 24(4):954–965
Long ER, MacDonald DD, Smith SL, Calder ED (1995) Incidence of adverse biological effects within ranges of chemical concentrations in marine and estuarine sediments. Environ Manag 19:81–97
MacDonald DD, Ingersoll CG, Berger TA (2000) Development and evaluation of consensus-based sediment quality guidelines for freshwater ecosystems. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 39:20–31
Marshall S, Pettigrove V, Carew M, Hoffmann A (2010) Isolating the impact of sediment toxicity in urban streams. Environ Pollut 158:1716–1725
Melbourne Water (2012) Draft stormwater strategy 2012. Available online: http://consultation.melbournewater.com.au/document/show/31. Last accessed 8 Feb 2014
Melbourne Water (2014) Water use data. Available online: www.melbournewater.com.au/waterdata/wateruse/Pages/default.aspx. Last accessed 8 Feb 2014
Nishikawa J-I, Saito K, Goto J, Dakeyama F, Matsuo M, Nishihara T (1999) New screening methods for chemicals with hormonal activities using interaction of nuclear hormone receptor with coactivator. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 154:76–83
Noppe H, Ghekiere A, Verslycke T, De Wulf E, Verheyden K, Monteyne E, Polfliet K, van Caeter P, Janssen CR, De Brabander HF (2007) Distribution and ecotoxicity of chlorotriazines in the Scheldt Estuary (B-Nl). Environ Pollut 147:668–676
Nørgaard K, Cedergreen N (2010) Pesticide cocktails can interact synergistically on aquatic crustaceans. Environ Sci Pollut Res 17:957–967
Nowell LH, Moran PW, Gilliom RJ, Calhoun DL, Ingersoll CG, Kemble NE, Kuivila KM, Phillips PJ (2013) Contaminants in stream sediments from seven United States metropolitan areas: part I: distribution in relationto urbanization. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 64:32–51
Page D, Dillon P, Mueller J, Bartkow (2010) Quantification of herbicide removal in a constructed wetland using passive samplers and composite water quality monitoring. Chemosphere 81:394–399
Pettigrove V, Hoffmann A (2003) Impact of urbanisation on heavy metal contamination in urban stream sediments: influence of catchment geology. Aust J Ecotoxicol 9:119–218
Pettigrove V, Hoffmann A (2005) A field-based microcosm method to assess the effects of polluted urban stream sediments on aquatic macroinvertebrates. Environ Toxicol Chem 24:170–180
Purdom CE, Hardiman PA, Bye VJ, Eno NC, Tyler CR, Sumpter JP (1994) Estrogenic effects of effluents from sewage treatment works. Chem Ecol 8:275–285
Rayment GE, Lyons DJ (2011) Soil chemical methods—Australasia. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood
Schäfer RB, Pettigrove V, Rose G, Allinson G, Wightwick A, von der Ohe PC, Shimeta J, Kuhne R, Kefford BJ (2011) Effects of pesticides monitored with three sampling methods in 24 Sites on macroinvertebrates and microorganisms. Environ Sci Technol 45:1665–1672
Shiraishi F, Shiraishi H, Nishikawa J, Nishihara T, Morita M (2000) Development of a simple operational estrogenicity assay system using the yeast two-hybrid system. Kankyo Kagaku 10:57–64 (in Japanese)
Simpson S, Batley GE, Charlton A, Stauber J, King C, Chapman J, Hyne R, Gale S, Roach A, Maher W (2005) Handbook for sediment quality assessment. CSIRO, Bangor
Streck G (2009) Chemical and biological analysis of estrogenic, progestagenic and androgenic steroids in the environment. TrAC Trends Anal Chem 28:635–652
Sumpter J, Johnson A (2008) 10th anniversary perspective: reflections on endocrine disruption in the aquatic environment; from known knowns to unknown unknowns (and many things in between). J Environ Monit 10:1476–1485
Water Sensitive Cities (2011) Blueprint 2011 stormwater management in a water sensitive city. The Centre for Water Sensitive Cities. Monash University, Clayton
Weston DP, Asbell AM, Lesmeister SA, Teh SJ, Lydy MJ (2014) Urban and agricultural pesticide inputs to a critical habitat for the threatened delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus). Environ Toxicol Chem 33(4):920–929
Wightwick A, Allinson G (2007) Pesticide residues in Victorian waterways: a review. Aust J Ecotoxicol 13:91–112
Wightwick A, Bui A, Zhang P, Rose G, Allinson M, Myers J, Reichman SM, Menzies NW, Pettigrove V, Allinson G (2012) Investigation of 25 fungicides in surface waters of a horticultural production catchment in south-eastern Australia. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 62:380–390
Zgheib S, Moilleron R, Chebbo G (2012) Priority pollutants in urban stormwater: part 1—case of separate storm sewers. Water Res 46:6683–6692
Acknowledgments
The research was supported by the Centre for Aquatic Pollution, Identification and Management (CAPIM) and the Department of Primary Industries (Projects #08160 and #06889). At the time of this study, CAPIM received foundation funding from The Victorian Science Agenda Investment Fund managed by the Department of Business and Innovation (DBI) (www.innovation.vic.gov.au) with additional funding from Melbourne Water, Department of Primary Industries (Victoria), and Environment Protection Authority (Victoria). The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. MA would like to thank Dr. Fujio Shiraishi (National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan) for training in use of the yeast-based bioassay.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible editor: Laura McConnell
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
ESM 1
(DOCX 158 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Allinson, G., Zhang, P., Bui, A. et al. Pesticide and trace metal occurrence and aquatic benchmark exceedances in surface waters and sediments of urban wetlands and retention ponds in Melbourne, Australia. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 10214–10226 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4206-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4206-3