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Assessing microplastics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and other contaminants of global concern in wadable agricultural streams in Iowa
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Researchers surveyed small agricultural streams across Iowa for multiple contaminants and found microplastics in water, sediment, and fish at every site tested. PFAS (forever chemicals), antibiotic resistance genes, and pharmaceuticals were also widely detected across the same streams. This study shows that even small rural waterways in agricultural regions carry a cocktail of emerging pollutants that could affect both ecosystems and the communities that rely on them.
Microplastics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), and pesticides may lead to unintended environmental contamination through many pathways in multiple matrices. This statewide, multi-matrix study of contaminants of global concern (CGCs) in agricultural streams across Iowa (United States) is the first to examine multiple CGCs in water, bed sediment, and fish to understand their occurrence in small streams located in regions of intense agriculture activity. Iowa plays a pivotal role in agriculture, with more than 85% of Iowa's landscape devoted to agriculture, making it an ideal location for determining the prevalence of CGCs to provide critical baseline exposure data. Fifteen sites were sampled across a range of predominant land uses (e.g., poultry, swine); all sites had detections of microplastics in all matrices. Concentrations of PFAS varied but were detected in water and sediment; all fish had detections of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), a type of PFAS. More than 50% of water and bed sediment samples had detections of ARGs. The most frequently detected PPCP was metformin. No sites had a cumulative exposure activity ratio greater than 1.0 for chemical exposures; 13 sites were above the 0.001 precautionary threshold. Toxicity quotients calculated using Aquatic Life Benchmarks were below the 0.1 moderate risk threshold for chemical exposures for all but one site. For fish, all sites exceeded the moderate and high-risk thresholds proposed for microplastic particles for food dilution (both chronic and acute exposures) and all sites exceeded the microplastic moderate threshold proposed for chronic tissue translocation, and two sites exceeded the threshold for acute tissue translocation.
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Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in agricultural tile drainage water and nearby streams in the US Midwest during both high- and low-flow periods, finding microplastics in all samples. Tile drainage systems — used to manage water in agricultural fields — transported microplastics from farmland into streams. This study identifies agricultural drainage as an important pathway for microplastics to enter freshwater ecosystems from fields treated with plastic mulch or sewage sludge.
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