Assessment of Organic Pollutants Accumulation in Fish from Maritsa River Basin (Bulgaria)
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ECOLOGIA BALKANICA 2017, Vol. 9, Issue 1 June 2017 pp. 19-27 Assessment of Organic Pollutants Accumulation in Fish from Maritsa River Basin (Bulgaria) Vesela M. Genina1,2*, Marin I. Marinov3 1 -University of Plovdiv, Faculty of Biology, 24 Tsar Asen Str., Plovdiv 4000, BULGARIA 2 - Executive Environmental Agency - Plovdiv, 1 Perushtitsa Str., Plovdiv 4000, BULGARIA 3 - East Aegean River Basin Directorate Plovdiv, 35 Yanko Sakazov Str., Plovdiv 4000, BULGARIA * Corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract. Two selected fish species were sampled from 5 sites within the Maritsa River Basin in the period 2013-2014 with the aim to assess the effects of pesticide industry and intensive agriculture. Sampling sites were located in the middle of the Maritsa River Basin (near Plovdiv City, Bulgaria) and the watersheds of the Chepelarska and Stryama Rivers. Methods for analysis of certain priority substances and specific pollutants were applied in order to establish trends in the accumulation in fish, as required by the Directive 2008/60/EC and Directive 2008/105/EC. The reported data for organic pollutants are the first for the studied river basin. The selection of indicators (priority substances and specific pollutants) provides particular guidelines for planning future monitoring for assessment of river chemical and ecological status. Key words: fish, Maritsa River, PCBs, OCPs, PAHs. Introduction similar chemical structure. РСВs had been Maritsa River is the largest on the derived for their very high flash points and Balkan Peninsula; it is the biggest river in were widely deployed as fire-extinguishing terms of discharge volume and the third agents, electrical insulators and plasticizers, longest river in Bulgaria. It emerges from mainly in electrical apparatuses. Most often springs in the Rila mountain range and its they are introduced into the environment basin is a cross-border watershed for through defective equipment, illegal Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. The number discharge, scavenge oil from electrical of the tributaries of Maritsa River is about equipment, as well as hazardous waste. 100. The most significant among them are They are a family of 209 synthetic molecules the rivers Chepinska, Topolnitsa, Luda composed of a biphenyl nucleus with Yana, Vacha, Chepelarska, Stryama, chlorine at any, or all, of the 10 available Sazliyka, Arda, Tundzha, Ergene. sites (MCFARLAND & CLARKE, 1989). The Determining organic compounds in ortho-, meta- and para positions are freshwater fish enables the identification of important in determining the chemical the contaminant origin in local regions. properties of PCB, such as high dielectric Polychlorinated biphenyls (РСВs) are toxic constants, non-flammability, hydrophobic chemicals which precipitate in soil and quality and chemical stability. The water. They are mixtures of synthetic and usefulness of these properties led PCBs to organic chemical substances which share be used in mixtures for a wide range of © Ecologia Balkanica Union of Scientists in Bulgaria – Plovdiv http://eb.bio.uni-plovdiv.bg University of Plovdiv Publishing House Assessment of Organic Pollutants Accumulation in Fish from Maritsa River Basin (Bulgaria) applications from the 1930s onwards aromatic hydrocarbons are produced (BREIVIK et al., 2002; BEYER & BIZIUK, 2009). mainly by incomplete combustion of coal However, after their toxicity became and diesel fuel. There are several hundred recognized, PCBs were progressively PAHs. These compounds are absorbed by banned in most developed countries during organisms mainly through the respiratory the 1980s (LETZ, 1983). Due to their large- system, but may also be assimilated scale production, extensive use and together with water and food. The most environmental persistence, these thorough study of the carcinogenic effect is compounds have accumulated in many that of inhaled benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), ecosystems all over the world; in addition in essential source of which is tobacco smoke. aquatic environments they are trapped in The aim of the research was to identify sediments. PCB contamination continues to the extent of accumulation of organic be a problem as these compounds can be pollutants in “fish” matrix in selected river transferred from the sediment to the lower valleys and monitoring stations along the trophic levels of an ecosystem through Maritsa River Basin. microbial and bottom-feeder uptake. Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have Material and Methods been widely used in the past, but because of The monitoring of fish was their high persistency in environment and accomplished in accordance with Guidance accumulation in the food chain, they can document No. 25 on chemical monitoring of still arouse topical concerns about human sediment and biota to the common health implementation strategy for the Directive Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are 2008/105/ЕC (EC, 2010). a large group of organic substances with The research was conducted at 5 moni- two or more benzene cores. They are toring stations located in the Maritsa River characterized by low solubility in water, but Basin and two of its major tributaries – high solubility in fats. The polycyclic Chepelarska and Stryama River (Fig. 1). Fig 1. Map of the studied region. 20 Vesela M. Genina, Marin I. Marinov The selection of the stations was made Semi-intensive rivers in Ecoregion 7, a site of in compliance with the key criteria and the significant anthropogenic pressure from best practices of the strategy for sampling of industrial plants producing pesticides and fish specified in Guidance document No. 7 metals (“Agria” Ltd., “KCM” Ltd.); of the Water Frame Directive (EC, 2003). discharge of untreated waste water from Thus, the stations were selected upon a large settlements (Assenovgrad Town > preliminary analysis of the information 1000 p.e.); intensive agriculture; automobile about the anthropogenic pressure from traffic; poor chemical status (metals) and point and diffuse sources of organic poor ecological status; substrate – mostly pollutants, the typological characteristics of gravel and sand, and where the current is the rivers, the composition of the bottom sluggish – organic slime. Moderate to substrate (pebbles, gravel, sand, slime, clay), significant water runoff, moderate to low the hydrological characteristics (water current velocity, water level: 0.3-0.5 m. runoff, water level) and accessibility for Maritsa River, upstream of Plovdiv sampling. The geographic characteristics of City (42.1608; 24.95124) – type R12 Large the monitoring stations (watershed, river, lowland rivers in Ecoregion 7, site of location, geographic coordinates) were combined point and diffuse pressure from specified below. the upper and middle part of the catchment Stryama river, the village of Slatina area of the Maritsa river, before discharge of (N42.6902; E24.56917) was selected as a waste water from Plovdiv City; discharge of potential reference site for national type R5 treated waste water from large settlements Semi-mountain rivers in Ecoregion 7, slightly in the catchment area on the monitoring influenced by anthropogenic pressure and station (Pazardzhik >1000 p.е., Stamboliyski limited impact on the quality elements: town 2000-10000 p.е.); advanced industry extensive agriculture and forestry in the (pulp and paper, food and flavor industry); vicinity of the monitoring station; low pressure intensive agriculture; intensive automobile from domestic discharges in the catchment traffic; good chemical and moderate to good area of the site (the town of Klissura); limited ecological status; substrate – mostly sand automobile traffic; good chemical and good to and gravel with depositions of organic slime high ecological status identified as a reference at places of sluggish current; significant point for type R5 in the RBMP of East Aegean water runoff, moderate to low current River Basin district. Substratum was consisted velocity, water level: 0.4-1.2 m. mainly by pebbles, gravel and sand, and Maritsa river, dam near the village of organic slime where the current is sluggish. Manole (N42.1529; E24.74322) – type R12 Moderate to significant water runoff, moderate Large lowland rivers in Ecoregion 7; a to high current velocity, water level was 0.2-0.4 monitoring station of significant cumulative m. anthropogenic pressure from all the sources Stryama river, the village of Manole in the catchment area of the other (N42.1871; E24.91314) – type R13 Small and monitoring stations (discharge of waste medium-sized lowland rivers in Ecoregion 7, water from large settlements, industrial located in a region with settlements in the enterprises and intensive agriculture; catchment area of the of monitoring station; discharge of treated waste water) from large intensive agriculture; cumulative pressure settlements in the catchment area of the from small settlements (<2000 p.e.); automobile monitoring station (Plovdiv City – 300000 traffic; good chemical and moderate ecological p.е., Assenovgrad Town >10000 p.е., a large status; substrate – mostly sand and at places number of settlements <2000 p.е.); combined where the current is sluggish – organic slime. pressure from developed industry Moderate to significant water runoff, moderate (industrial zones of the city of Plovdiv, to low current velocity, water level was 0.3-0.6 “Agria” Ltd., “KCM” Ltd.); intensive m. agriculture in the catchment areas of the Chepelarska River mouth, Kemera surveyed rivers – the Maritsa, Stryama and bridge area (N42.1457; E24.87722) – type R5 Chepelarska rivers;