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Assessment of legacy and emerging contaminants in sediment of an Australian deepwater ocean outfall
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A study of ocean floor sediments near an Australian wastewater outfall found relatively low contamination overall, with microplastic concentrations averaging around 42–54 particles per kilogram of dry sediment—dominated by PET and polypropylene fibers and fragments. Estrogenic compounds, particularly the hormone estradiol and bisphenol A (BPA), posed the greatest ecological risk close to the diffusers, suggesting that while dilution limits impact at distance, the immediate discharge zone may harm aquatic life. The findings highlight that treated wastewater can still deliver a mix of microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals to marine sediments even after secondary treatment.
This study evaluated the impacts of a wastewater treatment works (WWTW) in a regional city in Australia that releases both secondary-treated wastewater and resultant biosolids into an ocean outfall (depth: 25 m). Sediments (n = 64) were collected in both nort-heast (NE) and south-west (SW) directions at 10-20, 50-100, 200-500, and 1000-2000 m distance from the diffusers. The sediments were analysed for physicochemical properties, trace metals, microplastics (MPs), estrogenicity, and estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals (e-EDCs). The sediments were low in clay and organic content, but were enriched in fine sands. Most of the trace metal concentrations were below the detection limit of ICP-OES. Only the concentrations of Al, Fe, Cr, and Se were reportable, but were far below sediment quality guideline values. Average MP concentrations (size: >25-5000 μm) were also low (NE: 42 particles kg-1; SW: 54 particles kg-1) and were composed of 68% fibres (PET and PP) and 32% fragments (PP and PE). The estrogenicity (NE: 0.89 ng EEQ g-1; SW: 1.19 ng EEQ g-1) of the sediments was low to medium. Estrogenic compounds most responsible for the estrogenicity were 17β-estradiol (E2) and bisphenol A (BPA). All parameters were significantly higher near the diffusers (i.e., 10-20 m) and e-EDCs, particularly E2 might pose high ecological risks to aquatic habitats at this distance. Overall, there was limited contamination in the ocean outfall sediment, which is most likely attributable to the effect of significant oceanic dilution, deficiency of clay and organic content, and high content of fine sand in sediment.
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Researchers found that wastewater from a large plastic factory dramatically increased microplastic pollution downstream, up to 5 times more than upstream areas, and these plastic particles carried concerning levels of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical linked to hormone disruption. The contamination levels were high enough to pose serious risks to fish and other wildlife in the affected waterways and bay, which matters because these are the same waters that support seafood humans eat and coastal ecosystems people rely on.
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Researchers investigated whether LDPE and PET microplastics recovered from wastewater treatment plant effluents can adsorb estrogen compounds, finding that these common plastic types bind endocrine-disrupting estrogens and may transport them through aquatic ecosystems.
Analysis of Selected Endocrine Disrupters Fraction Including Bisphenols Extracted from Daily Products, Food Packaging and Treated Wastewater Using Optimized Solid-Phase Extraction and Temperature-Dependent Inclusion Chromatography
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Researchers analyzed bisphenol and other endocrine-disrupting compounds extracted from microplastics collected from beach sediments. They found detectable levels of bisphenol A and related compounds, confirming that microplastics act as carriers and reservoirs for hormone-disrupting chemicals in coastal environments.
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Researchers investigated the sorption of six endocrine-disrupting chemicals — including alkylphenols and estrogens — onto microplastics under marine conditions, supporting the hypothesis that microplastics act as a secondary contamination vector for aquatic organisms by concentrating pollutants.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.