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Reconnaissance Survey of Organic Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Kabul and Swat Rivers of Pakistan
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Researchers conducted the first survey of contaminants of emerging concern in Pakistan's Kabul and Swat Rivers, detecting plasticizers, caffeine, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides at ecologically concerning levels, with seasonal flow patterns influencing the relative concentrations of continuously-used versus intermittently-applied compounds.
The Swat and Kabul rivers of northern Pakistan are within an important regional watershed that supports river-based livelihoods and is impacted by untreated effluent discharges and municipal solid waste. Evidence indicates that fish populations are decreasing in these rivers. One potential cause of poor aquatic health is pollution; therefore, we investigated the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in the river systems. Water samples were collected in the Kabul River (n = 9) and Swat River (n = 10) during seasons of high (summer 2018) and low (winter 2019) river flow. Agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, plasticizers, chemicals in personal care products, and hormones were quantified via liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry. In the Swat River, caffeine (18-8452 ng/L), N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET; 16-56 ng/L), and plasticizers (13-7379 ng/L) were detected at all sites during both seasons, while butachlor (16-98 ng/L) was detected only during high flow. In the Kabul River, caffeine (12-2081 ng/L) and several plasticizers (91-722 ng/L) were detected at all sites during both seasons, while DEET (up to 97 ng/L) was detected only during high flow. During low flow, pharmaceuticals (analgesics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) were quantified in both rivers (up to 823 ng/L), with detection frequencies from 70% to 100% and 0% to 78% in the Swat and Kabul Rivers, respectively. Intermittent-use and natural seasonal processes (increased runoff and dilution from rainfall and snowmelt) yielded higher agrochemical concentrations and lower concentrations of continuous-use compounds (e.g., caffeine) during high flow. The present study provides the first insight into CEC concentrations in the Swat River, additional insight into the Kabul River stressors, and, overall, contaminant risks to aquatic life. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:2599-2613. © 2023 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
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