Novel strategies for the study of emerging organic contaminants in the environment

水环境中存在微量的“新出现有机污染物”(EOCs)，如药品和个人护理产品(PPCP)，这令人担忧，因为这些物质的混合效应尚未得到很好的了解。此外，由于水生和陆地环境中EOCs的浓度低、多样性、去向不明以及缺乏生态毒理学数据，对其研究提出了新的挑战。 我的研究计划旨在找到以下问题的答案：环境中还存在哪些令人担忧的EOCs，浓度是什么？EOCs的生物转化产品有哪些？微量EOCs的混合物对生物群有毒性吗？在未来5年内，我们将重点研究三类EOCs：1)药品；2)氰基毒素；3)塑料添加剂。我们计划开发和应用一系列方法，帮助我们改进对环境中EOCs的研究。 目标1：改进提取和分离技术，通过可疑筛选鉴定EOCs 由于在环境中可能会发现大量产生的EOCs，因此需要新的方法来应对这种多样性。因此，我们在这方面的工作将改进样品的制备和层析，通过筛选方法来鉴定不同物理化学性质的EOCs。 目标2：电化学方法研究EOCs的生物转化产物 本课题的研究将为开发和应用电化学技术在体外产生EOCs的I相代谢产物提供可能。此外，我们将应用这些技术来鉴定狼毒的代谢物，这将有助于我们更好地了解它们在地表水中的命运。 目标#3：基于大型水蚤代谢谱的新毒性生物测定 本课题的研究旨在通过对水蚤组织中代谢产物的分析，建立一种新的毒性生物测定方法。我们将使用蜕皮类固醇和甲壳类幼体激素作为定量研究的目标，以表明暴露在环境浓度(&lt；10 ppb)的EOCs混合物中对大型金龟子的毒性影响。 我的研究计划在未来五年对环境化学领域的主要贡献是一系列新的分析和环境毒理学方法的开发和应用，这些方法将使研究微量PPCPs和塑料添加剂的毒性、研究氰化物和PPCPs的转化产物以及新的EOCs的检测成为可能。从长远来看，我的研究计划将促进我们对环境中EOCs的存在、去向和毒性的了解，并将有助于确定哪些污染物更令人担忧，以及行业和政府决策者应将精力集中在哪里，以减轻和控制污染。

The presence of trace amounts of “emerging organic contaminants” (EOCs) in the aquatic environment such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) is worrisome since mixture effects of these substances are not yet well understood. Moreover, the study of EOCs in aquatic and terrestrial environments presents new challenges due to their low concentration, diversity, unknown fate and lack of ecotoxicological data. My research program aims to find an answer to the following questions: What other EOCs of concern are present in the environment and at what concentrations? What are the biotransformation products of EOCs? Are mixtures of trace amounts of EOCs toxic to biota? In the next 5 years, we will focus on study of three classes of EOCs: 1) pharmaceuticals 2) cyanotoxins and 3) plastic additives. We plan to develop and apply a series of methods that will help us improve the study those EOCs in the environment. Objective #1: Improved extraction and separation techniques to identify EOCs by suspect screening As many EOCs produced in large quantities may be found in the environment, new methodologies are required to cope with this diversity. Therefore, our work on this topic will improve sample preparation and chromatography to identify EOCs of diverse physicochemical properties by screening methods. Objective #2: Study of biotransformation products of EOCs by electrochemical methods Our research in this topic will make possible the development and application electrochemical techniques to generate phase I metabolites of EOCs in vitro. In addition, we will apply those techniques to identify metabolites of Lyngbya wollei toxins which will help us better understand their fate in surface waters. Objective #3: New toxicity bioassay based on metabolic profiling of Daphnia magna Our research in this topic aims to develop a new toxicity bioassay based on the analysis of metabolites in tissues of the water flea D. magna. We will use ecdysteroids and the crustacean juvenoid hormone as targets for quantitative studies that could indicate toxic effects in D. magna resulting from the exposure to mixtures of EOCs at environmental concentrations (< 10 ppb). The main contribution of my research program to the field of environmental chemistry in the next five years is the development and application of a series of new analytical and environmental toxicology methods that will make possible to study the toxicity of trace amounts of PPCPs and plastic additives, the study of transformation products of cyanotoxins and PPCPs well as the detection of new EOCs. In the long term, my research program will advance our knowledge about the presence, fate and toxicity of EOCs in the environment and will contribute to determine what contaminants are more concerning and where industry and government decision makers should concentrate their efforts in order to mitigate and control contamination.