International audience

International audience

International audience

International audience

The oxidative potential (OP) of particulate matter (PM) is considered a better health metric of PM exposure than mass concentration since its value is highly dependent on PM composition. OP assays have shown different sensitivities to PM components and particle sizes. In this work, an urban-industrial mixed site with high levels of airborne Mn and Fe, due to the proximity of a ferromanganese alloy plant, was chosen to study the association between PM elements and three OP assays (ascorbic acid (AA), dithiothreitol (DTT), and 2,7-dichlorofluorescein (DCFH)) in size segregated PM samples (PM10-2.5 and PM2.5). Urban samples from a nearby area were also collected. The concentration of 39 elements in both the soluble (in a phosphate buffer aqueous solution) and insoluble fractions of PM10-2.5 and PM2.5 was determined by ICP-MS. Soluble elements were then associated with OP and local sources using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Four sources of soluble elements have been identified in the urban-industrial site. The main factor was attributed to road traffic; although Cu and Fe, two active transition metals in OP assays, were associated to this factor, their low solubility, mainly in the coarse fraction, has led to low factor loadings of OP; the second factor was attributed to a ferromanganese plant, since it presented the highest factor loadings for soluble Mn in both PM10-2.5 and PM2.5; it was the main factor associated with OP-DTT and OP-DCFH values, mainly in the coarse fraction. Crustal material and sea salt aerosol were also identified as sources. | This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Project PID2020-114787RB-I00, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe”).

Rare earth elements and yttrium (REY) are critical elements for a wide range of applications and consumer products. Their growing extraction and use can potentially lead to REY and anthropogenic-REY chemical complexes (ACC-REY) being released in the marine environment, causing concern regarding their potential effects on organisms and ecosystems. Here, we critically review the scientific knowledge on REY sources (geogenic and anthropogenic), factors affecting REY distribution and transfer in the marine environment, as well as accumulation in- and effects on marine biota. Further, we aim to draw the attention to research gaps that warrant further scientific attention to assess the potential risk posed by anthropogenic REY release. Geochemical processes affecting REY mobilisation from natural sources and factors affecting their distribution and transfer across marine compartments are well established, featuring a high variability dependent on local conditions. There is, however, a research gap with respect to evaluating the environmental distribution and fate of REY from anthropogenic sources, particularly regarding ACC-REY, which can have a high persistence in seawater. In addition, data on organismal uptake, accumulation, organ distribution and effects are scarce and at best fragmentary. Particularly, the effects of ACC-REY at organismal and community levels are, so far, not sufficiently studied. To assess the potential risks caused by anthropogenic REY release there is an urgent need to i) harmonise data reporting to promote comparability across studies and environmental matrices, ii) conduct research on transport, fate and behaviour of ACC-REY vs geogenic REY iii) deepen the knowledge on bioavailability, accumulation and effects of ACC-REY and REY mixtures at organismal and community level, which is essential for risk assessment of anthropogenic REY in marine ecosystems. | publishedVersion

Livers of caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) from Canada (n = 146), Greenland (n = 30), Svalbard (n = 7), and Sweden (n = 60) were analyzed for concentrations of eight perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids and four perfluoroalkane sulfonic acids. In Canadian caribou, PFNA (range < 0.01–7.4 ng/g wet weight, ww) and PFUnDA (<0.01–5.6 ng/g ww) dominated, whereas PFOS predominated in samples from South Greenland, Svalbard, and Sweden, although the highest concentrations were found in caribou from Southwest Greenland (up to 28 ng/g ww). We found the highest median concentrations of all PFAS except PFHxS in Akia-Maniitsoq caribou (Southwest Greenland, PFOS 7.2–19 ng/g ww, median 15 ng/g ww). The highest concentrations of ΣPFAS were also found in Akia-Maniitoq caribou (101 ng/g ww) followed by the nearby Kangerlussuaq caribou (45 ng/g ww), where the largest airport in Greenland is situated, along with a former military base. Decreasing trends in concentrations were seen for PFOS in the one Canadian and three Swedish populations. Furthermore, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnDA, PFDoDA, and PFTrDA showed decreasing trends in Canada’s Porcupine caribou between 2005 and 2016. In Sweden, PFHxS increased in the reindeer from Norrbotten between 2003 and 2011. The reindeer from Västerbotten had higher concentrations of PFNA and lower concentrations of PFHxS in 2010 compared to 2002. Finally, we observed higher concentrations in 2010 compared to 2002 (albeit statistically insignificant) for PFHxS in Jämtland, while PFNA, PFDA, PFUnDA, PFDoDA, and PFTrDA showed no difference at all. | publishedVersion

The sedimentary environment is a repository and carrier for a variety of pollutants, and sediment transport from land to coastal areas is an important environmental process. In the present study, we use 210Pb/226Ra and 137Cs in sediment cores to assess sediment supply rates at four sites within the Vefsnfjord in Nordland county, Norway. This area was highly affected by fallout from the Chernobyl accident in 1986 and inventories of 137Cs in the fjord are much higher than in many other Norwegian fjords. Sedimentation rates between 0.042 and 0.25 g cm−2 y−1 (0.060 and 0.38 cm y−1) were determined using a combination of the Constant Rate of Supply (CRS) and Constant Flux:Constant Sedimentation rate (CF:CS) models. Well-defined 137Cs concentration peaks were used as a supplementary tool to the 210Pb dating methods. | publishedVersion

Embargo until 27 Oct 2019 | Acid deposition has led to acidification and loss of fish populations in thousands of lakes and streams in Norway. Since the peak in the late 1970s, acid deposition has been greatly reduced and acidified surface waters have shown chemical recovery. Biological recovery, in particular fish populations, however, has lagged behind. Long-term monitoring of water chemistry and fish populations in Lake Langtjern, south-eastern Norway, shows that around 2008, chemical recovery had progressed to the point at which natural reproduction of brown trout (Salmo trutta) reoccurred. The stocked brown trout reproduced in the period 2008–2014, probably for the first time since the 1960s, but reproduction and/or early life stage survival was very low. The results indicate that chemical thresholds for reproduction in this lake are approximately pH = 5.1, Ali = 26 μg l−1, ANC = 47 μeq l−1, and ANCoaa = 10 μeq l−1 as annual mean values. These thresholds agree largely with the few other cases of documented recovery of brown trout in sites in Norway, Sweden, and the UK. Occurrence and duration of acidic episodes have decreased considerably since the 1980s but still occur and probably limit reproduction success. | acceptedVersion

peer reviewed | Swordfish (Xiphias gladius L., 1758) is an apex predator, highly migratory meso-pelagic fish widely distributed in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean. As top predators, this fish may be the end reservoir of the bioaccumulation of trace elements in a food chain because they occupy higher trophic levels and are an important food source, causing them to be potentially hazardous to consume. This study aims to investigate the concentration of 18 trace elements of Swordfish, caught in the Mediterranean Sea and to discuss human exposure risks. The mean element levels in the fish muscles were clearly below the maximum allowable concentrations established by International food safety regulations. The data suggested that the risk is minor and acceptable for human health. The findings of this study amplify the scarce database on contaminants available, especially new data on “emerging elements”, for this species from the Mediterranean Sea. | Transpolmed Et Post Doc de Michel Marengo