Complex chemical cocktail, containing insecticides diazinon and permethrin, drives acute toxicity to crustaceans in mountain lakes

Mountain lakes have long been perceived as pristine environments. Ilowever, atmospheric deposition of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been shown to expose these sensitive ecosystems to chemical pollution. Little is known on how this pollution impacts aquatic ecosystems at high altitudes. We combined passive sampling with liquid and gas chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry (LC- and GC-HRMS) to screen the water of eight lakes in three different regions of the French Pyrenees. In total, we screened for 479 organic chemicals including POPs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), legacy and current-use pesticides, biocides, and musk fragrances. We detected a complex cocktail of 151 individual chemicals and used their toxic unit summation (Sigma TU) to assess toxicity for crustaceans and algae. While risks for algae never reached chronic risks, this was always the case for crustaceans. Acute toxic risk thresholds for crustaceans were even exceeded in several of our sites. At sites with acute toxic risk levels (> 0.1 Sigma TU) crustaceans were completely absent or showed a low abundance. We conclude that crustaceans were at least partly impacted by the high toxic risks driven by the insecticides diazinon and permethrin. These drugs are widely used to protect livestock from blue tongue disease transmitted by sucking insects, suggesting free roaming livestock as Pyrenees local source. Our results provide important evidence on toxic chemical pollution in relatively remote mountain areas, with important consequences for aquatic mountain ecosystems.

Automated summary

Mountain lakes at high altitudes are exposed to chemical pollution from persistent organic pollutants. Crustaceans are particularly impacted by the high toxic risks, potentially caused by agricultural pesticides and free roaming livestock.