Ecological risk of synthetic phenolic antioxidants: A study based on their spatial distribution in water, sediment, and soil from the Yangtze River Delta, China

Abstract

Environmental occurrence and risks of novel synthetic phenolic antioxidants (SPAs) remain largely unclear. By using a typical algae (Chlorella pyrenoidosa) as model organism, we evaluated the ecological risks of both traditional and novel SPAs, based on their concentrations in water, sediment, and soil collected from the Yangtze River Delta, China. Detection frequencies (DFs) of 10 novel SPAs were 25–100% in water, 3–100% in sediment, and 0–100% in soil, with geometric means (GMs) of 2700 ng/L, 1270 ng/g, and 2440 ng/g, respectively. For 8 traditional SPAs, DFs were 50–100% (GM: 680 ng/L), 3–100% (534 ng/g), and 47–100% (2240 ng/g) in water, sediment, and soil, respectively. AO3114 was the main pollutant in water, while AO1010 dominated in sediment and soil. Notably, low-molecular-weight SPAs showed migration behavior from sediment to water. Four SPAs (AO626, AO1035, AO1098, and AO1076) showed dose- and time-dependent toxicity on Chlorella pyrenoidosa. As time progressed, sediment-released SPAs became more toxic than those in water. Two SPAs (AO1135 and BHT-Q) posed high risks (RQ_W > 1) to green algae, daphnia, and fish. The SPA mixture exhibited high risks (RQ_mix > 1) to these organisms, increasing with the trophic level. This research holds valuable guidance for further SPA risk assessments.