Monitoring and eco-toxicity effect of paraben-based pollutants in sediments/seawater, north of the Persian Gulf

The current work is documented as the first record of the characteristics, removal efficiency, partitioning behavior, fate, and eco-toxicological effects of paraben congeners in a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP, stabilization ponds) and hospital WWTPs (septic tank and activated sludge), as well as seawater-sediments collected from runoff estuarine stations (RES) and coastal stations (CS) of the north of the Persian Gulf. The median values of Sigma parabens at the raw wastewater and effluent of the studied WWTPs were 1884 ng/L and 468 ng/L, respectively. The activated sludge system had a greater removal efficiency (56.10%) in removing Sigma parabens than the septic tank (45.05%) and stabilization pond (35.54%). The discharge rates of methyl paraben (MeP) was computed to be 2.23, 21.18, and 9.12 g/d/1000 people for stabilization ponds, septic tank, and activated sludge, respectively. Median concentrations of Sigma parabens in seawater (103.42 ng/L) and sediments (322.05 ng/g dw) from RES stations were significantly larger than from CS stations (61.2 and 262.0 ng/g dw in seawater and sediments, respectively) (P < 0.05). The median of field-based k(oc) for Sigma parabens was 130.81 cm(3)/g in RES stations and 189.51 cm(3)/g in CS stations. It was observed that the concentration of parabens could have negative impacts on some living aquatic populations (invertebrates and bacteria), but the risk was not significant for fishes and algae. [GRAPHICS] .

Automated summary

This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of paraben congeners in various wastewater treatment plants, as well as seawater and sediments from the Persian Gulf. It demonstrates differences in removal efficiency and concentrations of parabens, and highlights negative ecological effects on certain aquatic populations. These findings contribute to a better understanding of paraben pollution and its potential risks to the environment.