Lead concentrations and their isotopic compositions were measured in lichen genera Cladonia and Usnea and fungi genus Trametes from the Greater Sydney region (New South Wales, Australia) that had been collected and archived over the past 120 years. The median lead concentrations were elevated in lichens and fungi prior to the introduction of leaded petrol (Cladonia 12.5 mg/kg; Usnea 15.6 mg/kg; Trametes 1.85 mg/kg) corresponding to early industrial development. During the period of leaded petrol use in Australian automobiles from 1932 to 2002, total median lead concentrations rose: Cladonia 18.8 mg/kg; Usnea 21.5 mg/kg; Trametes 4.3 mg/kg. Following the cessation of leaded petrol use, median total lead concentrations decreased sharply in the 2000s: Cladonia 4.8 mg/kg; Usnea 1.7 mg/kg. The lichen and fungi isotopic compositions reveal a significant decrease in ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ratios from the end of 19th century to the 1970s. The following decades were characterised by lower allowable levels of lead additive in fuel and the introduction of unleaded petrol in 1985. The environmental response to these regulatory changes was that lichen and fungi ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ratios increased, particularly from 1995 onwards. Although the lead isotope ratios of lichens continued to increase in the 2000s they do not return to pre-leaded petrol values. This demonstrates that historic leaded petrol emissions, inter alia other sources, remain a persistent source of anthropogenic contamination in the Greater Sydney region.

Changes to larval fish assemblages may have far reaching ecological impacts. Correlations between habitat modification, contamination and marine larval fish communities have rarely been assessed in situ. We investigated links between the large-scale distribution of stressors and larval fish assemblages in estuarine environments. Larval fish communities were sampled using a benthic sled within the inner and outer zones of three heavily modified and three relatively unmodified estuaries. Larval abundances were significantly greater in modified estuaries, and there were trends towards greater diversity in these systems. Differences in larval community composition were strongly related to sediment metal levels and reduced seagrass cover. The differences observed were driven by two abundant species, Paedogobius kimurai and Ambassis jacksoniensis, which occurred in large numbers almost exclusively in highly contaminated and pristine locations respectively. These findings suggest that contamination and habitat alteration manifest in substantial differences in the composition of estuarine larval fish assemblages.

Sustainable alternatives to landfill disposal for municipal mixed wastes represents a major challenge to governments and waste management industries. In the state of New South Wales (NSW) Australia, mechanical biological treatment (MBT) is being used to reduce the volume and pathogen content of organic matter isolated from municipal waste. The product of this treatment, a compost-like output (CLO) referred to as mixed waste organic output (MWOO), is being recycled and applied as a soil amendment. However, the presence of contaminants in MWOO including trace organics, trace metals and physical contaminants such as microplastic fragments has raised concerns about potential negative effects on soil health and agriculture following land application. Here, we used multiple lines of evidence to examine the effects of land application of MWOO containing microplastics in three soils to a variety of terrestrial biota. Treatments included unamended soil, MWOO-amended soil and MWOO-amended soil into which additional high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics were added. Tests were conducted in soil media that had been incubated for 0, 3 or 9 months. Addition of microplastics had no significant negative effect on wheat seedling emergence, wheat biomass production, earthworm growth, mortality or avoidance behaviour and nematode mortality or reproduction compared to controls. There was also little evidence the microplastics affected microbial community diversity, although measurements of microbial community structure were highly variable with no clear trends.

The Imperial Smelting Furnace (ISF) for producing lead and zinc simultaneously has operated on four continents and in eleven countries from the 1950's. One of the process changes that the ISF introduced was the production of a finely granulated slag waste. Although this slag contained significant amounts of residual lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn), because of its glassy nature it was considered environmentally benign. From the Cockle Creek smelter near Boolaroo at the northern end of Lake Macquarie, NSW, Australia, it is estimated that around 2.1 million tonnes of the fine slag was distributed into the community and most remains where it was originally utilised. Residual tonnages of slag of this magnitude are common worldwide wherever the ISF operated. Studies of base metal smelting slags have concluded that mineralogical and morphological characteristics of the slag play a critical role in moderating environmental release of toxic elements. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microanalysis of the ISF slags has shown that the Pb and associated elements are present as discrete nodules (∼6–22 μm) in the slag and that they are not associated with Zn which is contained in the glass slag phase. Using an automated SEM and analysis technique (QEMSCAN®) to “map” the mineralogical structure of the particles, it was possible to quantitatively determine the degree of access infiltrating fluids might have to the reaction surface of the Pb phases. The level of access decreases with increasing particle size, but in even the largest sized particles (−3350 + 2000 μm) nearly 80% of the Pb-containing phases were totally or partially accessible. These results provide evidence that the toxic elements in the slags are not contained by the glassy phase and will be vulnerable to leaching over time depending on their individual phase reactivity.

Following the discovery of potential chronic perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination of Tilligerry Creek, Port Stephens (New South Wales Australia), sampling was undertaken to confirm the presence, extent and levels of contamination in commercial oyster crops of Sydney Rock Oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) and Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) grown within the estuary. Among a range of PFAS tested, only perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was detected. Concentrations of PFOS in oyster tissues for S. glomerata ranged from 1.6μgkg⁻¹ ww (wet weight) to below the limit of reporting of 0.3μgkg⁻¹ ww, with concentrations generally decreasing toward the lower reaches of the estuary. The sample of C. gigas tested had a PFOS concentration of 0.71μgkg⁻¹ ww that was consistent with concentrations observed in nearby S. glomerata. For harvest size (50–60g) S. glomerata, both holding contaminated oysters in a depuration system, and relocation to a non-contaminated area, saw significant reductions in the tissue PFOS concentrations. For oysters held in a depuration system, PFOS depurated at a rate of 0.008h⁻¹ (0.004–0.019h⁻¹; 90% CI), which corresponded with a depuration half-life of 87h (35–155h; 90%). A more conservative model (fitted to data that assumed concentrations<LOR were equal 0.5·LOR) predicted a depuration half-life of 131h. PFOS concentrations had fallen to below detectable limits within 162h. Similar decreases were observed in relocated oysters.

Synoptic sediment quality triad (contaminants, benthic assemblages, toxicity testing) data were collected for sites in Sydney estuary, adjacent Cooks River and five less-modified southern estuaries. Matching data tested relationships between contaminants and benthic assemblages, correlations with specific contaminants, and the ability of sediment quality guidelines to predict the risk of adverse effects.Significant but weak relationships occurred in complex patterns between assemblages, contaminant concentrations and environmental variables. Maximum benthos abundance occurred where sediment contamination was high and was dominated by polychaetes. Spionidae (polychaete) and Galeommatidae (mollusc) abundances were strongly correlated with site environmental characteristics and with varying mixtures of metals and organic contaminants.The risk of adverse effects on benthic assemblage structure increased with increasing sediment toxicity except for areas of very high contamination and for non-bioavailable anthropogenic chemicals. The overall weight-of-evidence scores differentiated the highly modified sites from less-contaminated southern estuaries, where toxicity scores were higher than predicted.

The accumulation of metals in tissue compartments of bivalve biomonitors is expected to reflect the phases in which metals are most bioavailable. In concurrent field and laboratory experiments we measured Zn, Cd and Pb concentrations in the gills and digestive glands of mussels exposed to sediments from Lake Macquarie in NSW, Australia. Mussels in the laboratory were also exposed to the bioturbating gastropod Batillaria australis. Zn, Cd and Pb concentrations in gills and digestive glands of mussels from both experiments were accumulated in proportion with levels of metal contamination in the sediments. An interaction in the field between site and tissue type was found for Cd and Pb suggesting variation in the phases in which metals are most bioavailable. No effect of bioturbation on metal accumulation in the bivalve was detected and we conclude that it is unlikely to be a significant factor in metal uptake when these species interact.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), which are resistant to biodegradation and therefore accumulate in the marine environment. In Australia, POPs occur in high concentrations primarily in costal water near farming regions and urban centres. From contaminated sediments and biota, POPs are transferred and biomagnified in larger marine organisms. We quantified POPs concentrations in 57 individuals from ten species of sharks and rays caught in bather-protection gillnets deployed off northern New South Wales, Australia. Polychlorinated biphenyls, DDTs and HCB were detected in all species. For some individuals, concentrations were at levels known to have deleterious sub-lethal effects. Overall, the POP concentrations analysed in this study were comparable to those in similar species from more polluted regions, and may have negative impacts on longer-term health. Future research is warranted to investigate spatio-temporal patterns of species-specific contaminant loads and their implications.

Blooms of Alexandrium species, in particular the species Alexandrium catenella, accounted for more than 50% of algal related, shellfish aquaculture harvest zone closures in New South Wales (NSW) Australia since 2005. While there are indications that species of Alexandrium are more abundant than they were formerly, there is little data available on the spatial and temporal distribution and abundance of the genus in NSW. A six and a half year dataset comprising a total of 8649 fortnightly samples from 31 estuaries spread over 2000km of NSW coastline was analysed. The greatest abundances of Alexandrium spp. were observed during the austral Spring and Summer, in estuaries in the mid and southern latitudes of the state. In identifying these high risk zones, we propose variables such as season, temperature, rainfall and estuarine flushing to be targeted in intensive site specific studies, to support the development of predictive tools for resource managers.

Matrix-bound phosphine (MBP) has been measured in sediment from two cores in Lake Illawarra on the south east coast of Australia. The sediments were also dated in the upper layers. MBP concentrations found range from 142 to 1813ngkg⁻¹, dw (dry weight of sediment) with some values being amongst the highest ever measured. Values of MBP in deeper sediments were higher than for near surface samples, but the patterns with depth were not consistent. Strong correlations were noted between MBP and organic phosphorus (OP, r>0.8) and with total phosphorus (TP, r>0.7), but only moderate correlations were found with organic carbon (OC, r>0.5). No correlations were found between MBP concentrations and the age of the sediments. It was confirmed that high MBP concentrations are indicative of a phosphorus rich environment. The results tend to support the premise that MBP is generated by microbial attack on OP under anaerobic conditions.