Occurrence, persistence, and ecological risk of bisphenol A in surface water receiving raw leachate from a municipal solid waste open dump in Kerawalapitiya, Sri Lanka

Abstract Bisphenol A (BPA) is an anthropogenic chemical compound utilized to manufacture a wide range of consumer products, such as polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), food packages, and thermal papers. Because of its extensive worldwide use, BPA is pervasive in the environment, negatively affecting aquatic life. Therefore, we studied the occurrence, persistence, and ecological risk of BPA in surface water receiving raw leachate from a municipal solid waste (MSW) open dump in Kerawalapitiya, Sri Lanka. Our findings corroborate that the BPA average concentrations in the canal network were 0.4–42.6 µg/L during the wet season and 0.2–4.9 µg/L during the dry season. The levels of BPA at 11 locations (out of 16) during both seasons differed significantly from the upstream sample, where there was no impact from the dump site ( p < 0.05), indicating the ubiquitous occurrence and persistence of BPA in the canal network. BPA levels in the waterbodies are greater in the wet period than in the dry period because of the continuous ingress of run‐off‐driven leachate to the canal network. Our study infers that pH and salinity correlate positively with BPA, while temperature, DO, and TSS are negatively correlated with BPA. BPA levels in five locations during the wet season and one during the dry season surpassed the tolerable level of BPA stipulated by the Canadian Federal Environmental Quality Guidelines to safeguard aquatic life, which is 3.5 µg/L. The findings of the acute ecological risk assessment articulate that during the wet season, Mozambique tilapia ( Oreochromis mossambicus ) and orange chromide ( Etroplus maculatus ) constitute a high acute risk, while they pose a medium acute risk during the dry season. Our study suggests that the relevant authorities must prevent the ingress of runoff rich with BPA onto the canal network to protect aquatic life.