Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs): assessment of health and dietary risk in the consumption of Plagioscion squamosissimus in one of the largest rivers in a semi-arid region (Rio São Francisco, Brazil).

The São Francisco River, significant in semi-arid areas, faces impacts from hydroelectric plants and agricultural pesticides. Despite extensive research on its aquatic life, especially fish reproductive biology, there's a notable lack of studies on toxicity and its human health implications. This gap highlights the need for targeted research in this vital ecological zone. Consequently, this study aimed to scrutinize the concentrations of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs), including Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), Organochlorine Pesticides (OCPs), pyrethroid pesticides (PPs), triazine pesticides (TPs), and Organophosphorus Pesticides (OPPs) in the water, sediment, and fish (Plagioscion squamosissimus). The findings revealed the presence of all compound classes in sediment, albeit in limited quantities in water. Biotic components exhibited higher concentrations in nerve tissue, followed by the liver and muscle, indicative of a bioaccumulation trend. It is noteworthy that more concerning levels were observed in both water and sediments. In particular, Fenvalerate in water and Prometon in sediments demonstrated the highest Bioaccumulation Factor (BAF) values. While for non-carcinogenic effects and Cancer Risk (CR), the parameters were calculated and all classified in the areas of acceptable or insignificant according to chemical safety agencies. However, the compounds under scrutiny demand vigilant attention, given their nearly ubiquitous presence across various matrices and demonstrated bioaccumulative capacity, potentially posing future repercussions for human health.

Tarballs on the Brazilian coast in late 2022 sustain Lepas anatifera Linnaeus, 1758 (Crustacea: Cirripedia): Occurrence and risk of petroleum hydrocarbon ingestion.

Since the 2019 oil spill on the northeastern coast of Brazil, oil materials have washed up on the beaches. A characteristic of the recent oil spill that began in late August was that some of the oiled material, such as tarballs, contained the goose barnacle species Lepas anatifera (Cirripedia, Lepadomorpha), which is well-known for its cosmopolitan distribution and wide occurrence in the oceans. The findings of this study provide information on the occurrence and contamination of petroleum hydrocarbons in animals adhered to the surfaces of tarballs sampled from beaches in the Brazilian states of Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte, between September and November 2022. The size of the barnacles varied from 0.122 to 2.20 cm, suggesting that the tarballs had been floating in the ocean for at least a month. All groups of L. anatifera collected from the tarballs had polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present (∑21PAHs from 476.33 to 3816.53 ng g-1). In comparison to high-molecular-weight PAHs, which are primarily from pyrolytic sources, low-molecular-weight PAHs, such as naphthalene and phenanthrene, which are mostly related to petrogenic sources, were shown to be more abundant. In addition, dibenzothiophene, which is exclusive of petrogenic origin, was found in all samples (30.74-537.76 ng g-1). The aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHs): n-alkanes, pristane, and phytane were also found and displayed petroleum characteristics. These results highlight the danger of increasing the absorption of petrogenic PAHs and AHs by organisms that use tarballs as substrates. L. anatifera is a crucial component of the food chain because many animals such as crabs, starfish, and gastropods consume it.