Issue 4, 2022

Emerging environmental contaminants at the air/aqueous and biological soft interfaces

Abstract

Detection of micropollutants, such as pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals with endocrine disrupting potency, in ground and surface waters is of emerging concern. Within the aquatic environment, these emerging contaminants (ECs) can interact with various surfaces and biological membranes. The implication is that, provided the ECs exhibit sufficient affinity, these surfaces can modulate their fate and transport properties. Knowledge of the types of interactions with biomembranes can also help decipher their impact on aquatic organisms. Here, we show that selected organic micropollutants – amlodipine (AMP), carbamazepine (CBZ), β-estradiol (β-ED), and 4-propylphenol (4-PP) – exhibit proclivity for the air/aqueous interface. These compounds also interact differently with a zwitterionic phospholipid membrane. The adsorption free energy for the water surface, in the order of increasing affinity, is as follows: 4-PP < AMP < β-ED ∼ CBZ. Of the four compounds studied, 4-PP has the greatest extent of disruption of the phospholipid membrane. Our results suggest that the extent of interaction with the water surface and biological membrane is dependent upon the chemical nature of these micropollutants. This fundamental study highlights the importance of interfacial chemistry on the fate and transport of emerging contaminants in natural waters.

Graphical abstract: Emerging environmental contaminants at the air/aqueous and biological soft interfaces

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
28 apr 2022
Accepted
21 jul 2022
First published
23 jul 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Environ. Sci.: Adv., 2022,1, 430-437

Emerging environmental contaminants at the air/aqueous and biological soft interfaces

G. Dalla Pozza, D. Deardorff and M. Subir, Environ. Sci.: Adv., 2022, 1, 430 DOI: 10.1039/D2VA00081D

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