engleski

Relative contribution of polar contaminants to the toxicological profiles of the wastewater effluents of the city of Zagreb (Croatia)

The work presented in this paper deals with a comprehensive characterisation of hazardous chemical contamination of the wastewater effluents, using a combination of large volume-extraction and sample fractionation protocols, advanced chemical analytical methods and a series of bioassays. Furthermore, since the polar fraction, due to analytical limitations, represents the least studied fraction in environmental matrices, a special emphasis has been directed towards a more detailed analysis of polar fraction in order to identify novel candidates contributing to different ecotoxicological endpoints. The study was carried out in the wastewater treatment plant of the city of Zagreb, Croatia, including untreated wastewater and secondary effluents. Over 100 contaminants were identified in the analysed wastewater samples, covering wide range of chemical structures and physico-chemical properties, in particular with respect to the chemical compound hydrophobicity and/or polarity. Since the city of Zagreb has a mixed sewer system, including significant contributions from both domestic and industrial sources, the composition of contaminants found in untreated wastewater was rather complex. Non-specific cytotoxicity of untreated wastewater extract was very high. Two categories could be pointed out as possible candidates for the observed cytotoxicity: pesticides due to their high toxicity, and surfactants due to their comparatively high concentrations. Furthermore, ecotoxicity profiling of the Zagreb city WWTP samples revealed the most significant contribution of compounds present in polar fractions. That was especially pronounced for the EROD inducers, MXR inhibitors and estrogen active substances.

Effect-directed analyses ; wastewater ; bioassays ; mass spectrometry

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