At the intersection of urbanization, water and food security: bioaccumulation of select contaminants of emerging concern in mussels and oysters from Hong Kong

Authors: BURKET, S REBEKAH - BAYLOR UNIVERSITY; Sapozhnikova, Yelena; ZHENG, J S - HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE; CHUNG, SHAN SHAN - HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE; BROOKS, BRYAN - BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/7/2018
Publication Date: 3/10/2018
Citation: Burket, S., Sapozhnikova, Y.V., Zheng, J., Chung, S., Brooks, B.W. 2018. At the intersection of urbanization, water and food security: bioaccumulation of select contaminants of emerging concern in mussels and oysters from Hong Kong. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 66:5009-5017. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.7b05730.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.7b05730

Interpretive Summary: Aquaculture operations are growing worldwide and will continue to increase to meet global food demands. In this study, we examined bioaccumulation of contaminants by marine bivalves located near sewage and landfill wastewater discharges in Hong Kong, the fourth most densely populated area in the world. Multiple classes of pharmaceutical residues, pesticides, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and flame retardants were detected at low ng/g levels. The generated data on their occurrence may aid in future risk assessment and regulations, however, future studies are needed to understand the contaminants’ effects on aquaculture product safety, particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions of developing countries with limited infrastructure.

Technical Abstract: Aquaculture, which is growing 3-5 times faster than terrestrial agriculture, will play an important role to meet future global food production needs. However, 80% of global sewage production is returned to the environment untreated. In developing nations, these non-traditional waters of diverse quality are being recycled for aquaculture, yet chemical residues are differentially studied. Here, we examined bioaccumulation of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, PCBs, PBDEs, PAHs and flame retardants by marine bivalves using isotope dilution LC-MS/MS and low pressure (LP)GC-MS/MS. Green-lipped mussels and oysters were collected adjacent to point source municipal wastewater and landfill leachate effluent discharges, respectively, in Hong Kong, the fourth most densely populated area in the world. Multiple classes of pharmaceutical residues, pesticides, PAHs and phosphorus-based flame retardants were detected at low ug/kg levels. Future efforts are needed to understand contaminant influences on marine bivalve populations and aquaculture product safety, particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions of developing countries with limited infrastructure.