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Growth inhibition of freshwater microalga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata caused by a waste water treatment plant (WWTP) effluent extract was investigated using an effect directed analysis (EDA) approach. The objective was to identify compounds responsible for the toxicity by combining state-of-the-art sampling, bioanalytical, fractionation and non-target screening techniques. Three fractionation steps of the whole extract were performed and bioactive fractions were analysed with GC (xGC)-MS and LC-HRMS. In total, 383 compounds were tentatively identified, and their toxicity was characterized using US EPA Ecotox database, open scientific literature or modelled by ECOSAR. Among the top-ranking drivers of toxicity were pesticides and their transformation products, pharmaceuticals (barbiturate derivatives and macrolide antibiotics e.g. azithromycin), industrial compounds or caffeine and its metabolites. Several of the top-ranking pesticides are no longer registered for use in plant protection products or biocides in the Czech Republic (e.g. prometryn, atrazine, acetochlor, resmethrin) and some are approved only for use in biocides (e.g. terbutryn, carbendazim, phenothrin), which indicates that their non-agricultural input into aquatic environment via WWTPs should be carefully considered. The study demonstrated a functional strategy of combining biotesting, fractionation and non-target screening techniques in the EDA study focused on the identification of algal growth inhibitors in WWTP effluent., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Growing concern about the adverse environmental and human health effects of a wide range of micropollutants requires the development of novel tools and approaches to enable holistic monitoring of their occurrence, fate and effects in the aquatic environment. A European-wide demonstration program (EDP) for effect-based monitoring of micropollutants in surface waters was carried out within the Marie Curie Initial Training Network EDA-EMERGE. The main objectives of the EDP were to apply a simplified protocol for effect-directed analysis, to link biological effects to target compounds and to estimate their risk to aquatic biota. Onsite large volume solid phase extraction of 50 L of surface water was performed at 18 sampling sites in four European river basins. Extracts were subjected to effect-based analysis (toxicity to algae, fish embryo toxicity, neurotoxicity, (anti-)estrogenicity, (anti-)androgenicity, glucocorticoid activity and thyroid activity), to target analysis (151 organic micropollutants) and to nontarget screening. The most pronounced effects were estrogenicity, toxicity to algae and fish embryo toxicity. In most bioassays, major portions of the observed effects could not be explained by target compounds, especially in case of androgenicity, glucocorticoid activity and fish embryo toxicity. Estrone and nonylphenoxyacetic acid were identified as the strongest contributors to estrogenicity, while herbicides, with a minor contribution from other micropollutants, were linked to the observed toxicity to algae. Fipronil and nonylphenol were partially responsible for the fish embryo toxicity. Within the EDP, 21 target compounds were prioritized on the basis of their frequency and extent of exceedance of predicted no effect concentrations. The EDP priority list included 6 compounds, which are already addressed by European legislation, and 15 micropollutants that may be important for future monitoring of surface waters. The study presents a novel simplified protocol for effect-based monitoring and draws a comprehensive picture of the surface water status across Europe., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The implementation of targeted and nontargeted chemical screening analysis in combination with in vitro and organism-level bioassays is a prerequisite for a more holistic monitoring of water quality in the future. For chemical analysis, little or no sample enrichment is often sufficient, while bioanalysis often requires larger sample volumes at a certain enrichment factor for conducting comprehensive bioassays on different endpoints or further effect-directed analysis (EDA). To avoid logistic and technical issues related to the storage and transport of large volumes of water, sampling would benefit greatly from onsite extraction. This study presents a novel onsite large volume solid phase extraction (LVSPE) device tailored to fulfill the requirements for the successful effect-based and chemical screening of water resources and complies with available international standards for automated sampling devices. Laboratory recovery experiments using 251 organic compounds in the log D range from -3.6 to 9.4 (at pH7.0) spiked into pristine water resulted in acceptable recoveries and from 60 to 123% for 159 out of 251 substances. Within a European-wide demonstration program, the LVSPE was able to enrich compounds in concentration ranges over three orders of magnitude (1ngL -1 to 2400ngL -1 ). It was possible to discriminate responsive samples from samples with no or only low effects in a set of six different bioassays (i.e. acetylcholinesterase and algal growth inhibition, androgenicity, estrogenicity, fish embryo toxicity, glucocorticoid activity). The LVSPE thus proved applicable for onsite extraction of sufficient amounts of water to investigate water quality thoroughly by means of chemical analysis and effect-based tools without the common limitations due to small sample volumes., (Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Effect-directed analysis (EDA) is a useful tool to identify bioactive compounds in complex samples. However, identification in EDA is usually challenging, mainly due to limited separation power of the liquid chromatography based fractionation. In this study, comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC × LC) based microfractionation combined with parallel high resolution time of flight (HR-ToF) mass spectrometric detection and a high throughput acetylcholinesterase (AChE) assay was developed. The LC × LC fractionation method was validated using analytical standards and a C18 and pentafluorophenyl (PFP) stationary phase combination was selected for the two-dimensional separation and fractionation in four 96-well plates. The method was successfully applied to identify AChE inhibitors in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent. Good orthogonality (>0.9) separation was achieved and three AChE inhibitors (tiapride, amisulpride, and lamotrigine), used as antipsychotic medicines, were identified and confirmed by two-dimensional retention alignment as well as their AChE inhibition activity.