The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of potentially toxic elements in the Suches river using standardized geochemical indices and to identify the main sources of contamination in the section from the Suches lagoon up to 33.8 km downstream of the effluent river, in the district of Cojata, Puno, Peru. The concentration of Al, Ba, Co, Fe, M, Ni, P, V and Zn in sediments of the Suches river was determined by means of mass spectrometry from October 2019 to February 2020. The values of Co, Fe, Mn, Ni, P and Zn exceeded the base values of contamination according to the general geological references while Al, Ba and V, did not surpass them. The contamination factor showed that the elements Co and Ni revealed a very high level of contamination, while the Zn, a considerable level. The area has an average pollution load index value of 2.24, indicating moderate general pollution. The elements Co, Ni, Al and Zn were within the moderate and extreme classification according to the pollution index. The Spearman's correlation analysis allowed determining the association between Al, Fe, Mn, P and V, which share a natural origin and the accumulation of these elements is due to the effects of weathering and soil erosion. The evaluation of the contamination indices and the correlation confirm that Cobalt, Nickel and Zinc are toxic elements associated with gold mining and agricultural activities.

Objectives:To compare water quality parameters in the vicinity of Gas Flaring Area of Ebocha-Obrikom of Rivers State with that of the recommended standards.Methods:The research utilized standard analytical procedures. All sampling, conservation, transportation and analysis followed standard procedures described in APHA (2012). All the samples collected were transported to the laboratory through keeping in an icebox to prevent degradation of the organic substances.Results:Result depicts that Turbidity, DO, BOD, COD, TSS, Magnesium, Iron, Cadmium, Lead, Chromium, and Nickel exceeded the desirable limit meant for drinking purpose as well as could potentially pose threats toward human society. Hence, remain unsuitable for drinking, as the inhabitants were more vulnerable for their total lifetime period of exposure through continuous consumption of unsuitable drinking water.Conclusion:It is recommended that the local government environmental health officers and other regulatory agencies frequently monitor the levels of these pollutants within the area and also ensure strict adherence to guidelines to ensure a healthy environment. As exposure to the above stated parameters can have a remarkable impact on human health living in the vicinity of the gas flaring area by drinking water around the study area; thus, groundwater needs to treated before using for household purpose or drinking. Thus, this study would help in decision making for stakeholders and relevant authorities in the execution of reasonable groundwater management strategies and remediation plans in the area to protect public and environmental health.

Microplastics pollution has become a matter of global concern because of its effects on aquatic life and the ecosystem. This study investigated the abundance and types of microplastics found in an urban canal of Thailand. Water quality and the relationship between microplastics pollutants and the physicochemical properties of water quality were also analyzed to provide evidence for this study. The mean abundance of microplastics was 370 ± 140 particle(p)/m3. The highest number and concentration of microplastics were found on surface water corelated with urbanization. Transparent brown and transparent colors in the form of film and fiber/lines were the predominant morphology. Polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) were the most abundant polymer type in all surface water samples. Furthermore, water quality was related with microplastic pollution. The physicochemical properties of turbidity (0.99), conductivity (0.97), total solid (0.95) and biological oxygen demand (0.84) were accounted for greatest influences on microplastics distribution. The estimated equation of microplastics was also closely corelated with water quality. These results demonstrate that microplastic pollution has progressed more in poor water quality than good water quality, indicating that the inflow process and sources of microplastics are similar to those of other pollutants. Therefore, this study is expected to encourage and enforce solid waste and wastewater management policies that prevent microplastics pollution in the environment.

The aim of this study is to determine the amount of quantitative and qualitative changes in groundwater in the Sarvestan plain in south of Fars province, which is one of the critical plains in Iran in terms of water resources. In this research, zoning maps of electrical conductivity of water in GIS were prepared and various hydrochemical diagrams were illustrated. Different quality parameters of water resources were compared according to the statistical data collected and the experiments performed at the beginning of the 8-year period of the research. Chemical analysis of water samples shows that the groundwater type of most of the studied wells at the beginning of the period (2013) has changed from Ca-Cl and Mg-Cl types to Na-Cl type at end of the time period (2020). Determining the trend of chemical changes shows that the diversity of water samples in terms of anions and cations in water with increasing salinity at the end of the period is less than the variety of samples at the beginning of the period. According to the results of chemical experiments, evaporation, crystallization, and weathering of rocks are the factors that control the composition of groundwater in the study area. This study shows increasing the salinity of groundwater in addition to decreasing precipitation and high water use for agricultural application, due to the type of geological formations, especially the presence of salt domes at groundwater inlets to the plain on the east side of the study area.

The study was conducted to assess surface water quality in Ca Mau peninsula using multivariate statistical analysis. Fifty-one water samples with the parameters of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), total suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium (N-NH4+), orthophosphate (P-PO43-) and total coliform were used in the evaluation. Water quality is assessed using national standard and water quality index (WQI). The methods of cluster (CA), discriminant (DA), principal component analysis (PCA) were used to analyze the variation patterns of water quality. The surface water was contaminated with organic matters, suspended solids, nutrients, and microorganisms. DA revealed that DO, TSS, BOD5 and pH contributed 76.91% to the seasonal variation of water quality. Water quality is classified from bad to heavily polluted. CA grouped water quality into 7 clusters and DO, TSS, BOD5, COD and coliform of the clusters 1-3 were significantly higher than those of the clusters 4-7. PCA presented that PC1-PC3 was the main sources affecting water quality, explaining 85.45% of the variation in water quality. The sources of pollution can be human (domestic wastewater, waste from agriculture, fisheries, industry, landfills), natural (hydrological regime, rainwater overflow, river bank erosion). pH, DO, BOD5, COD, TSS, N-NH4+, P-PO43- and coliform have an impact on water quality and need to be continuously monitored. However, for the multivariate statistical method to be more effective, an initial data set with several water quality parameters sampling locations is needed. The current results provide scientific information and support local water quality monitoring activities.

International audience | Metal pollution in rivers should not be overlooked before their entry into the sea. However, there are few studies for estimating such contamination in rivers entering the Algerian coastal waters. Semimonthly quantification of dissolved and particulate metals, near the mouths of two industrial-tainted rivers, El Harrach and Mazafran rivers, was carried out during a period of one year. All the trace metals analyzed are originating from anthropogenic sources (EF > 1.5), with higher contamination of dissolved Pb, Cd, Zn and Ni and a slight degree of contamination of particulate Cu and Zn (0 < I geo < 1). Particulate metals show a stable complex with the particulate phase (e.g. 2 < LogK d < 6). The risk assessment results indicate that particulate Pb and Zn have a 33% likelihood of toxicity for adverse biological effects. A significant toxicity effect (ΣTUi >4) of the combined particulate metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni and As) was primarily due to the higher particulate Cd, Zn, and Cr availability.

Forest management can alter the mobilization of mercury (Hg) into headwater streams and its conversion to methylmercury (MeHg), the form that bioaccumulates in aquatic biota and biomagnifies through food webs. As headwater streams are important sources of organic materials and nutrients to larger systems, this connectivity may also increase MeHg in downstream biota through direct or indirect effects of forestry on water quality or food web structure. In this study, we collected water, seston, food sources (biofilm, leaves, organic matter), five macroinvertebrate taxa and fish (slimy sculpin; Cottus cognata) at 6 sites representing different stream orders (1–5) within three river basins with different total disturbances from forestry (both harvesting and silviculture). Methylmercury levels were highest in water and some food sources from the basin with moderate disturbance (greater clearcutting but less silviculture). Water, leaves, stoneflies and fish increased in MeHg or total Hg along the river continuum in the least disturbed basin, and there were some dissipative effects of forest management on these spatial patterns. Trophic level (δ¹⁵N) was a significant predictor of MeHg (and total Hg in fish) within food webs across all 18 sites, and biomagnification slopes were significantly lower in the basin with moderate total disturbance but not different in the other two basins. The elevated MeHg in lower trophic levels but its reduced trophic transfer in the basin with moderate disturbance was likely due to greater inputs of sediments and of dissolved organic carbon that is more humic, as these factors are known to both increase transport of Hg to streams and its uptake in primary producers but to also decrease MeHg bioaccumulation in consumers. Overall, these results suggest that the type of disturbance from forestry affects MeHg bioaccumulation and trophic transfer in stream food webs and some longitudinal patterns along a river continuum.

The prevalence and transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and opportunistic pathogens in water environments can pose great threat to public health. However, the dissemination of ARGs and opportunistic pathogens from water environments to humans has been poorly explored. Here, we employed 16S rRNA gene sequencing and high-throughput quantitative PCR techniques to explore the seasonal distribution of ARGs and opportunistic pathogens in the Yellow River water (source water) and tap water, as well as their relationships with healthy humans at Lanzhou, China. Physiochemical analysis was applied to detect water quality parameters and heavy metal contents. The absolute abundance and diversity of ARGs in the Yellow River and tap water demonstrated distinct seasonal patterns. In winter, the Yellow river water had the highest ARG abundance and diversity, while tap water owned the lowest. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were the predominant driver of ARG profiles in both the Yellow river and tap water. Null model analysis showed that ARG assembly in the Yellow River was more influenced by stochastic processes than tap water and this was independent of seasons. Total organic carbon and arsenic contents exhibited positive correlations with many ARGs. Opportunistic pathogens Aeromonas and Pseudomonas may be potential hosts for ARGs. Approximately 80% of detected ARGs were shared between water samples and the human gut. These persistent ARGs could not be entirely eliminated through drinking water treatment processes. Thus, it is crucial to protect sources of tap water from anthropogenic pollution and improve water treatment technologies to reduce the dissemination of ARGs and ensure drinking-water biosafety for human health.

Copper has become one of the most important heavy metal pollutants in the environment because of its wide application and high toxicity, but research on water quality criteria (WQCs) on copper is limited, especially the derivation of seawater WQC. In addition, the toxicity of copper in the seawater system is affected by various environmental factors. Therefore, establishing a WQC that meets the characteristics of the regional environment is a top priority. The correlations between four factors of temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the toxic effect values of copper were analyzed in this study, and the temperature was determined as the most influential factor among the four factors in the Bohai Sea. A specific correlation between temperature and the toxic effects of copper was identified, and WQCs were derived based on the identified correlation and the variations of the Bohai Sea's temperature in different seasons by species sensitivity distribution (SSD) method. Under the condition of the winter, spring, autumn, and summer with an average water temperature of 0.09, 15.96, 17.83, and 24.87 °C, the obtained short-term water quality criteria (SWQCs) were 44.29, 4.70, 4.31, and 3.33 μg/L; the long-term water quality criteria (LWQCs) were 18.14, 1.93, 1.77 and 1.36 μg/L. The findings indicated the importance of introducing specific environmental conditions during the derivation process. This work could provide valuable information for pollution prevention and aquatic life protection in the Bohai Sea and provide a valuable reference for the derivation of criteria in other regions alike.