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Winning multimedia entry in the Community Choice category in the Postgraduate Research Poster Competition held by the Graduate School of The Open University on 15th June 2022.

Winning poster in the Community Choice category in the Postgraduate Research Poster Competition held by the Graduate School of The Open University on 15th June 2022.

This report summarizes the findings of a screening study into the occurrence of selected benzothiazoles, siloxanes, pigments & PBT compounds in effluents, sewage sludge, surface water, sediments and biota.

This report summarises the findings of a screening study into the occurrence of selected pharmaceuticals and hormones in effluents, sludges, surface waters, sediments and biota. Denne rapporten oppsummerer resultatene av en screeningundersøkelse i forekomsten av utvalgte legemidler og hormoner i avløp, sludges, overflatevann, sedimenter og biota. The Norwegian Environment Agency

Diflubenzuron and teflubenzuron are benzoylureas that are used in aquaculture to control sea lice. Flubenzurons have low toxicity to many marine species such as fish and algae but by their nature are likely to have significant adverse effects on nontarget species such as crustaceans and amphipods. Although the exact mechanism of toxicity is not known, these compounds are thought to inhibit the production of the enzyme chitin synthase during molting of immature stages of arthropods. These chitin synthesis inhibitors are effective against the larval and pre‐adult life stages of sea lice. Due to their low solubility and results of recent monitoring studies conducted in Norway, the sediment compartment is considered the most likely reservoir for these compounds and possible remobilization from the sediment to benthic crustaceans could be of importance. For this reason, the epibenthic copepod Tisbe battagliai was selected for investigations into the acute and developmental effects of these compounds. For comparative purposes, azamethiphos was investigated to identify differences in sensitivity and act as a negative control for developmental effects at environmentally relevant concentrations. Standard acute studies with adult copepods showed little or no acute toxicity at milligrams per liter levels with the flubenzurons, whereas a naupliar developmental test demonstrated that environmentally relevant concentrations (e.g., nanograms per liter) caused a complete cessation of molting and finally death in the exposed copepods.

The occurrence and environmental risk of a number of phosphites and selected PBT substances are reported for wastewater effluents and leachates, as well as sediments and biota from Oslofjord and Lake Mjøsa. In addition a suspect and non-target screening approach was applied to approximatley half of the biota samples.

The occurrence and environmental risk of a number of new bisphenols, organic peroxides, fluorinated siloxanes, organic UV filters and selected PBT substances are reported for wastewater effluents and leachates, as well as sediments and biota from Oslofjord and Lake Mjøsa. Miljødirektoratet

Polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) were deployed in the vicinity of an offshore oil installation and analyzed for naphthenic acids (NAs). The POCIS accumulated a range of mono‐ to tetracyclic NAs, with different degrees of alkylation, with monocyclic acids being the most abundant. Currently, POCIS or similar polar samplers may be the only way to measure exposure to NAs from offshore discharges in situ. In addition, they may be a valuable tool for monitoring similar organic acids in general.

As part of the monitoring programme established by the Norwegian Climate and Pollution Directorate (Klif) to assess fluxes of contaminants in the Barents Sea, Norwegian Sea and North Sea, passive sampling was undertaken at Andøya, Bjørnøya and Jan Mayen to measure levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorines (OCs) and polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) in air and water. Semipermeable membrane devices and silicone strips were deployed in water for a period of 10 months. PAH concentrations in water were mostly quantifiable, and found generally lower at Jan Mayen than those measured at Bjørnøya and Andøya. PCB concentrations were mostly below limits of detection (low picogram/litre). Limits of detection were adequate for pentachlorobenzene and hexachlorobenzene, while concentrations of hexachlorocyclohexane isomers and p,p’-DDE were closer to limits of detection. Two PBDE congeners, PBDE-47 and PBDE-99 were consistently detected. For certain compounds, it was possible to compare dissolved water concentrations with those measured in cod liver from Jan Mayen. The non-targeted screening with GC/TOF/MS identified a short list of chemicals present in air and water. Results from polyurethane foam samplers (PUFs) deployed in the air are broadly consistent with results from past findings and active air samplers, yet also revealed difficulties when applying this method at Arctic sites, which are mainly attributed to the relatively harsh climatic conditions. Contaminant levels in air were successfully measured at the three sites using PUF air samplers. Based on results presented here, some recommendations are also provided. Klif

As an assignment from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, IVL has during 2006/2007 performed a 'Screening Study' of zinc pyrithione. Also the concentrations of irgarol 1051, zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) were measured in the study As an assignment from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, IVL has during 2006/2007 performed a 'Screening Study' of zinc pyrithione. Also the concentrations of irgarol 1051, zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) were measured in the study