Search

Abstract Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have gained widespread attention due to their adverse effects on health and environment. Developing efficient technology to capture PFAS from contaminated sources remains a great challenge. In this study, we introduce a type of reusable polymeric sorbent (PFPE-IEX + ) for rapid, efficient, and selective removal of multiple PFAS impurities from various contaminated water sources. The resin achieves >98% removal efficiency ([PFPE-IEX + ] = 0.5–5 mg mL−1, [PFAS]0 = 1–10 ppb in potable water and landfill leachate) and >500 mg g−1 sorption capacity for the 11 types of examined PFAS. We achieve efficient PFAS removal without breakthrough and subsequent resin regeneration and demonstrate good PFAS recovery in a proof-of-concept cartridge setup. The outcomes of this study offer valuable guidance to the design of platforms for efficient and selective PFAS capture from contaminated water, such as drinking water and landfill leachate.

Marine vertebrates, particularly green sea turtles, are especially vulnerable to plastic pollution through ingestion or entanglement. This study investigated wild juvenile green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) from two Ecuadorian national parks (Galápagos and Machallilla) to assess the prevalence of plastic pollution in their feces and its potential impact on various health metrics. We analyzed fecal samples from 46 juvenile green sea turtles using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to quantify microplastics (MPs). A complementary methodology using pressurized liquid extraction with double-shot pyrolysis-mass spectrometry gas chromatography (Pyr-GC/MS) was also employed to quantify synthetic polymer mass concentrations. The results from these analyses were compared with blood analytes. FT-IR analysis revealed a mean of 4.4±5.2 MPs/g in fecal samples, with the highest quantities found in the Galápagos Marine Reserve (GMR). The most common MPs shape identified were fibers (x̄= 3.8±4.5 MPs/g), and the predominant synthetic polymers were polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) and polyacrylates (PMMA). The daily intake of MPs by the sampled turtles ranged from a minimum of 312±409 MPs/day to a maximum of 430±563 MPs/day. Pyr-GC/MS analysis detected polyethylene (PE) with a mean of 367±1158 µg/g and polypropylene (PP) with a mean of 155±434 µg/g in fecal samples, with the highest pollution levels observed in the GMR. Both FT-IR and Pyr-GC/MS techniques detected plastic pollution in 98% of the sampled population. Although both FT-IR and Pyr-GC/MS are reliable methods, they produced slightly different results due to methodological variations. However, both supported the finding that turtles in the GMR were exposed to higher rates of plastic ingestion. Despite the turtles appearing clinically healthy based on blood analysis, significant differences in eleven health metrics were observed between turtles classified as less at risk and those most at risk for plastic pollution. Further research is necessary to understand the potential health implications of these findings.

Abstract Explanted polypropylene (PP) surgical mesh has frequently been reported to show surface alterations, such as cracks and flaking. However, to date the consequence of PP mesh degradation is not clearly understood, particularly its potential to influence the biological host response of surrounding tissues. Of particular concern is a possible host reaction to polypropylene particles released through degradation of surgical mesh in vivo. This concern is driven by previous studies which have postulated that an oxidative stress environment has the potential to etch away particles from the surface of a PP fibers. The release of such particles is of considerable significance as particles in the nano‐ to micro range have been shown to have the capacity to irritate cells and stimulate the immune system. The authors are not aware of any previous studies that have attempted to characterize, quantify or identify any particles released from PP mesh after exposure to an oxidative stress environment. Characterization of the PP mesh, post oxidative stress exposure, including identification of particles was achieved through application of a range of techniques: low voltage‐scanning electron microscopy (LV‐SEM), pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Pyr‐GCMS), nano‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (nano‐FTIR), scattering‐type, scanning near‐field optical microscopy (s‐SNOM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), attenuated total reflectance‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR‐FTIR) and uniaxial tensile testing. The findings of this study indicate that oxidative stress alone is a major factor in the production of PP particle debris. PP debris identified within solution, using Pyr‐GCMS, was shown to be in order of the micron scale.

While several sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are known, their use in consumer household products is far less explored. The aim of this study was to provide comprehensive bottom-up analysis of the types and concentrations of PFAS reported in the literature over the past decade. A total of 52 studies revealed 107 PFAS belonging to 15 different categories in 1040 consumer products. The highest number of products tested were from the USA (n = 389) followed by the Czech Republic (n = 111). Mean PFAS concentrations were highest in household firefighting products, followed by textile finishing agents and household chemicals. The highest diversity of PFAS was reported in textiles (72 PFAS). Fluorotelomer alcohol (FTOH), polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters (PAPs), perfluorocarboxylic acid (PFCA) and perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) are the classes of PFAS of high interest. Eight out of 52 studies used High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry techniques. Highlighted knowledge gaps included (i) the development of analytical methods for detecting a range of PFAS in consumer products, (ii) method validation and QA/QC approaches, (iii) application of suspect and non-target analysis, and (iv) an understanding of human exposure risk. This review highlights that the presence of PFAS in consumer products is of concern and remains underexplored.

The market for illicit drugs and new psychoactive substances (NPS) has grown significantly and people attending festivals have been identified as being at high risk (high extent and frequency of substance use). Traditional public health surveillance data sources have limitations (high costs, long implementation times, and ethical issues) and wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) can cost-effectively support surveillance efforts. Influent wastewater samples were analyzed for NPS and illicit drug consumption collected during New Year period (from 29-Dec-2021 to 4-Jan-2022) and a summer Festival (from 29-June-2022 to 12-July-2022) in a large city in Spain. Samples were analyzed for phenethylamines, cathinones, opioids, benzodiazepines, plant-based NPS, dissociatives, and the illicit drugs methamphetamine, MDA, MDMA, ketamine, heroin, cocaine, and pseudoephedrine by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. High consumption rates of specific NPS and established illicit drugs were identified at the peak of each event. Furthermore, a dynamic change in NPS use (presence and absence of substances) was detected over a period of six months. Eleven NPS, including synthetic cathinones, benzodiazepines, plant-based NPS and dissociatives, and seven illicit drugs were found across both the New Year and summer Festival. Statistically significant differences (p

Analysis of untreated municipal wastewater is recognized as an innovative approach to assess population exposure to or consumption of various substances. Currently, there are no published wastewater-based studies investigating the relationships between catchment social, demographic, and economic characteristics with chemicals using advanced non-targeted techniques. In this study, fifteen wastewater samples covering 27% of the Australian population were collected during a population Census. The samples were analysed with a workflow employing liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry and chemometric tools for non-target analysis. Socioeconomic characteristics of catchment areas were generated using Geospatial Information Systems software. Potential correlations were explored between pseudo-mass loads of the identified compounds and socioeconomic and demographic descriptors of the wastewater catchments derived from Census data. Markers of public health (e.g., cardiac arrhythmia, cardiovascular disease, anxiety disorder and type 2 diabetes) were identified in the wastewater samples by the proposed workflow. They were positively correlated with descriptors of disadvantage in education, occupation, marital status and income, and negatively correlated with descriptors of advantage in education and occupation. In addition, markers of polypropylene glycol (PPG) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) related compounds were positively correlated with housing and occupation disadvantage. High positive correlations were found between separated and divorced people and specific drugs used to treat cardiac arrhythmia, cardiovascular disease, and depression. Our robust non-targeted methodology in combination with Census data can identify relationships between biomarkers of public health, human behaviour and lifestyle and socio-demographics of whole populations. Furthermore, it can identify specific areas and socioeconomic groups that may need more assistance than others for public health issues. This approach complements important public health information and enables large-scale national coverage with a relatively small number of samples.

Metformin is the most widely used drug to treat type 2 diabetes. Monitoring spatial patterns of metformin use could provide new insights into treatment of type 2 diabetes and the distribution among populations. This study applied a wastewater-based epidemiological (WBE) approach to estimate metformin use in different populations across Australia and compared these estimates with traditional approaches of surveys and prescription data. Twenty-four-hour influent samples were collected from 75 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) across Australia in 2016 and analysed for metformin. Metformin was detected in all samples ranging in concentration from 8.2 to 191 µg/L (median 58 µg/L). Concentrations were converted to population-weighted average consumption at the national level, resulting in an average consumption of 28.6 g/day/1000 people across Australia, which was within 7% of estimates from national prescription statistics. In addition, results for five out of seven states had an estimated prevalence of type 2 diabetes within 20% compared to the traditional epidemiology surveys. Spatial patterns were also observed between urban and rural settings, with higher consumption rates of metformin found in Major Cities (22.5 ± 10.9 g/d/1000 people) and Inner Regional cities (25.4 ± 13.4 g/d/1000 people) than in Outer Regional (17.0 ± 8.1 g/d/1000 people) and Remote areas (15.1 ± 7.4 g/d/1000 people). Consumption estimates were also correlated against socioeconomic factors of the specific catchment areas. Greater metformin use was correlated with populations of lower education and income levels, while positive correlations were found between metformin consumption and consumption of allopurinol, caffeine and venlafaxine. Our study provides more evidence on the distribution of metformin use across Australia, which can be used to develop public health strategies to reduce the overall burden of type 2 diabetes in specific regions.

Introduction: During the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia implemented a series of international and interstate border restrictions. The state of Queensland experienced limited COVID-19 transmission and relied on lockdowns to stem any emerging COVID-19 outbreaks. However, early detection of new outbreaks was difficult. In this paper, we describe the wastewater surveillance program for SARS-CoV-2 in Queensland, Australia, and report two case studies in which we aimed to assess the potential for this program to provide early warning of new community transmission of COVID-19. Both case studies involved clusters of localised transmission, one originating in a Brisbane suburb (Brisbane Inner West) in July–August 2021, and the other originating in Cairns, North Queensland in February–March 2021. Materials and Methods: Publicly available COVID-19 case data derived from the notifiable conditions (NoCs) registry from the Queensland Health data portal were cleaned and merged spatially with the wastewater surveillance data using statistical area 2 (SA2) codes. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value of wastewater detection for predicting the presence of COVID-19 reported cases were calculated for the two case study sites. Results: Early warnings for local transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through wastewater surveillance were noted in both the Brisbane Inner West cluster and the Cairns cluster. The positive predictive value of wastewater detection for the presence of notified cases of COVID-19 in Brisbane Inner West and Cairns were 71.4% and 50%, respectively. The negative predictive value for Brisbane Inner West and Cairns were 94.7% and 100%, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the utility of wastewater surveillance as an early warning tool in low COVID-19 transmission settings.

Controlling importation and transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from overseas travelers is essential for countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, and other island nations, that have adopted a suppression strategy to manage very low community transmission. Wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA has emerged as a promising tool employed in public health response in many countries globally. This study aimed to establish whether the surveillance of aircraft wastewater can be used to provide an additional layer of information to augment individual clinical testing. Wastewater from 37 long-haul flights chartered to repatriate Australians was tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Children 5 years or older on these flights tested negative for coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) (deep nasal and oropharyngeal reverse-transcription (RT)-PCR swab) 48 h before departure. All passengers underwent mandatory quarantine for 14-day post arrival in Howard Springs, NT, Australia. Wastewater from 24 (64.9 %) of the 37 flights tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. During the 14 day mandatory quarantine, clinical testing identified 112 cases of COVID-19. Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in repatriation flight wastewater using pooled results from three RT-qPCR assays demonstrated a positive predictive value (PPV) of 87.5 %, a negative predictive value (NPV) of 76.9 % and 83.7% accuracy for COVID-19 cases during the post-arrival 14-day quarantine period. The study successfully demonstrates that the surveillance of wastewater from aircraft for SARS-CoV-2 can provide an additional and effective tool for informing the management of returning overseas travelers and for monitoring the importation of SARS CoV-2 and other clinically significant pathogens.

Microplastics contamination has been widely reported in filter feeders yet the < 1 μm size fraction has been largely ignored. In attempt to characterize this sub 1 μm size fraction and better understand the size distribution of microplastics contamination in filter feeders, field deployed oysters were characterised using a combination of size fractionation combined with pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) as well as Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (μFT-IR). Sequential filtration followed by Py-GC/MS identified the 1–22 μm fraction to contain the highest total plastic mass concentration (Ʃ31 mg/g), followed by the 22 μm fraction (Ʃ0.1 mg/g). μFT-IR identified 0.2 particles/g tissue but was limited to particles >150 μm in size. Our results clearly show that an important size fraction of microplastics is being overlooked in almost all studies published to date that rely on FTIR for polymer identification.

Monitoring smoking prevalence is key to assessing responses to tobacco control measures, and evaluating associated health and economic costs. Estimates of tobacco consumed in Australia are based on various data sources – tax excise clearances, sales, and self-report surveys. There are limitations with each of these data sources which makes triangulation of cigarette use estimates by multiple methods important. Wastewater-based epidemiology, the systematic sampling and analysis of wastewater, is now a routine method to measure and monitor human exposure to a range of chemicals. This study provides a high frequency long-term temporal assessment of exposure to nicotine, the main addictive component of tobacco, using this approach. 291 archived wastewater samples collected from a regional city catchment from 2010 to 2017 were analysed for human-specific nicotine metabolites (cotinine and trans-3′-hydroxycotinine), to estimate per capita nicotine use. Temporal trends in nicotine use determined by wastewater-based epidemiology were compared with national sales and survey data. Wastewater analysis showed a 25% reduction in the mean number of cigarette equivalents consumed from 2010 to 2017, representing a 3% annual decline. These findings are in good agreement with estimates based on surveys and sales data, indicating annual declines of 5% and 4%, respectively. Findings of this study demonstrate WBE to be a relatively cost-effective and objective approach to reporting long-term data on nicotine consumption. When combined with alternative data sources, and valuable sociodemographic information of surveys, wastewater-based epidemiology helps to refine our estimates and understanding of the total impacts of smoking. Keywords: Tobacco consumption, Nicotine, Wastewater-based epidemiology, Temporal monitoring

Wastewater contains a large range of biological and chemical markers of human activity and exposures. Through systematic collection and analysis of these markers within wastewater samples it is possible to measure the public health of whole populations. The analysis of effluent and biosolids can also be used to understand the release of chemicals from wastewater treatment plants into the environment. Wastewater analysis and comparison with catchment specific data (e.g. demographics) however remains largely unexplored. This manuscript describes a national wastewater monitoring study that combines influent, effluent and biosolids sampling with the Australian Census. An archiving program allows estimation of per capita exposure to and consumption of chemicals, public health information, as well as per capita release of chemicals into the environment. The paper discusses the study concept, critical steps in setting up a coordinated national approach and key logistical and other considerations with a focus on lessons learnt and future applications. The unique combination of archived samples, analytical data and associated census-derived population data will provide a baseline dataset that has wide and potentially increasing applications across many disciplines that include public health, epidemiology, criminology, toxicology and sociology. Keywords: Census, Wastewater, Influent, Effluent, Biosolids, Australia

Measurement of population tobacco use via wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) provides objective data to evaluate the efficacy of tobacco control strategies. However, current WBE tobacco-use estimates based on nicotine metabolites (cotinine and hydroxycotinine) can be masked by use of non-tobacco nicotine-containing products. To better understand nicotine and tobacco use, we analysed tobacco-specific biomarkers, anabasine and anatabine, as well as nicotine metabolites, cotinine and hydroxycotinine, in wastewater samples collected for 6 weeks per year over 6 years (2012–2017) from an Australian wastewater treatment plant serving approximately 100,000 people. Population-normalised mass loads were used to estimate tobacco and nicotine use trends and were compared with surveys and taxation statistics. Significant annual declines were observed for anabasine, anatabine, cotinine and hydroxycotinine of −3.0%, −2.7%, −2.4%, and −2.1%, respectively. The results corresponded with the annual declining trends reported from surveys (−5%) and taxation statistics (−4%). Significant annual decreases in the ratios of anabasine to cotinine (−1.2%) and anatabine to cotinine (−1.0%) suggested a relative increase in the use of non-tobacco nicotine products at the same time that tobacco use was declining. Monitoring tobacco use with anabasine and anatabine removed influence from nicotine-containing products, showing larger reductions in this Australian city than via nicotine biomarkers, whilst also demonstrating their suitability for monitoring long-term trends.

Artificial sweeteners are used as sugar substitutes in our daily lives yet consumption and release patterns are currently unknown in Australia. The spatial distribution of artificial sweetener consumption and WWTP effluent emission in Australia was estimated by wastewater analysis. Wastewater influent and effluent samples were collected from 69 WWTPs across Australia during the week of the 2016 Australian census. Mean population-weighted per capita loads for individual artificial sweeteners (cyclamate, aspartame, acesulfame, sucralose, saccharin) ranged from 0.12 ± 0.14 mg d−1p−1 for aspartame to 6.9 ± 2.8 mg d−1p−1 for acesulfame with 1004 kg of these artificial sweeteners being consumed daily in Australia. Significant removal of aspartame (100%), cyclamate (92 ± 18%) and saccharin (88 ± 21%) was observed during wastewater treatment. The average per capita release to the environment for individual artificial sweeteners (cyclamate, acesulfame, sucralose, saccharin) ranged from 230 ± 780 mg d−1 1000p−1 (cyclamate) to 3800 ± 1400 mg d−1 1000p−1 (sucralose). The daily release of artificial sweeteners from Australian WWTPs was estimated to be 142 kg suggesting that 14% of the artificial sweeteners consumed in Australia are released into the environment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first wastewater study to estimate the occurrence and population-normalized artificial sweetener consumption and emission in Australia.

The rate of drug excretion (excretion factor) is a critical parameter for monitoring drug consumption in the population by wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). Previous studies have refined excretion factors for common illicit drugs, such as cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, heroin, to improve the accuracy and reduce uncertainty in back-calculating consumption. Nevertheless, for ketamine, one of the most prevalent psychoactive substances, a careful review of its excretion factors has not been performed due to limited pharmacokinetic data. Here we review WBE studies and seizure data to refine and validate the excretion factors for ketamine and norketamine. The average ketamine/norketamine ratio in wastewater (5.36) was much higher than that found in urine (0.64), which means that the excretion factors derived only from pharmacokinetics data are not appropriate. Based on the comparison of the ratio between estimated consumptions of ketamine and methamphetamine by WBE with their corresponding ratio in official seizure data, a revised WBE excretion factor of 20% was proposed for ketamine following this review and applied to estimate the ketamine consumption in China. The revised estimates of ketamine consumption corresponded well with drug statistics. This suggests that the revised ketamine excretion factor is appropriate for estimating ketamine consumption by WBE. Systematic review of WBE studies is a suitable approach to refine the excretion factors for substances with inadequate pharmacokinetic data. Keywords: Wastewater-based epidemiology, Ketamine, Norketamine, Excretion factor, Metabolite ratio

Pesticides have been used in large amounts around the world for decades and are responsible for environmental pollution and various adverse effects on human health. Analysis of untreated wastewater can deliver useful information on pesticides’ use in a particular area and allow the assessment of human exposure to certain substances. A wide-scope screening method, based on liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry, was applied, using both target and suspect screening methodologies. Daily composite influent wastewater samples were collected for seven or eight consecutive days in Athens between 2014 and 2020 and analyzed for 756 pesticides, their environmental transformation products and their human metabolites. Forty pesticides were quantified at mean concentrations up to 4.9 µg/L (tralkoxydim). The most abundant class was fungicides followed by herbicides, insect repellents, insecticides and plant growth regulators. In addition, pesticide transformation products and/or metabolites were detected with high frequency, indicating that research should be focused on them. Human exposure was evaluated using the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach and 3-ethyl-carbamoyl benzoic acid and cis-1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophthalimide were proposed as potential WBE biomarkers. Wastewater analysis revealed the presence of unapproved pesticides and indicated that there is an urgent need to include more transformation products in target databases.

Persistent organic pollutant (POP) biomonitoring in humans is challenging and generally carried out using blood, breast milk or adipose tissue, with concentrations normalised to the lipid content of the sample matrix. The goal of this cross-sectional pilot study was to evaluate the validity and feasibility of explanted silicone prostheses as a matrix for persistent organic pollutant biomonitoring in humans. We postulate that pollutant concentrations in silicone prostheses inserted in the body will equilibrate with that in the body over time and provide a measure of the overall body burden. This study included silicone prostheses from 22 female patients of the Colosseum clinic (Oslo, Norway) collected between September 2010 and April 2012. Absorption of chlorinated and brominated POPs into silicone prostheses during implantation was observed. Relative levels of the different contaminants measured in prostheses were in agreement with those from serum and breast milk analyses from the general Norwegian population. The comparison of serum and breast milk-based literature data with prosthesis concentrations transposed into lipid-normalised concentrations supports the validity of the prosthesis measurements. The median of relative percent differences between measurements with replicate silicone prostheses from 11 patients was below 30%. Observed increases in prosthesis concentrations with patients' age were found to be very similar to literature data from studies of the Norwegian population. Silicone prostheses therefore represent a promising matrix for the biomonitoring of nonpolar and non-ionic pollutants in humans. Sample accessibility and body burden representativeness of the silicone prostheses suggest that specimen banking should be initiated. Keywords: Silicone prosthesis, Implant, Human biomonitoring, Persistent organic pollutants, Passive sampling