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Project title

assessmenT of the EnviRonmental contamination of iRish soils and sediments with hAzardous CHEMicals

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG)

Lead Applicant

Marie Coggins

Project Abstract

Notwithstanding the significant societal and economic benefits associated with chemical use, issues arise when hazardous persistent chemicals capable of bioaccumulation or inducing adverse impacts on man or biota, enter the environment. Among the more notable priority hazardous or "watch list" chemicals which also have extensive commercial applications are: perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), surfactants used in textiles and food packaging ; halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) used as additives in electronics, furniture, and vehicles; polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) previously used as dielectric/coolant fluids; antibiotics and antiparasitics used as human/veterinary pharmaceuticals; sun-screen agents (SSAs) and UV-filters (UVFs) in personal care products; and pyrethroids used as insecticides. Many of these chemicals can cause significant adverse impacts in the areas where they are used or discharged and are also capable of long-range transportation. Tracing the source of such chemicals in our environment is further complicated by inadequacies in the current waste management system. Waste materials, e.g. wastewater sludges, can often contain hazardous substances due to inadequate treatment technologies, and recycling practices, like the use of sludge biosolids as fertilizer on arable land, can often result in the inadvertent dispersal of hazardous chemicals into the environment and food chain. Domestic sewage (containing PFASs, UVFs/SSAs, antibiotics, and/or antiparasitics) and landfill leachate (containing PFASs, BFRs, and PCBs) is largely sent to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for processing; "treated" water subsequently discharged to the environment can be contaminated with these chemicals. Industrial discharges to the environment can result in local contamination of coastal sediments. On-land and offshore (aquaculture) use of insecticides are also areas of concern. In the future, extreme weather events impacted by climate change are likely to become more common in Ireland, which could further impact on the mobilisation of hazardous chemicals from contaminated land to water courses and vice versa. The European Green Deal and the Stockholm Convention both highlight an urgent need to protect human health and the environment from legacy and emerging organic contaminants, and it is crucial that the levels of these chemicals in the Irish environment are assessed so that effective measures can be adopted to reduce their impact. The TERRAChem project proposes to conduct a monitoring campaign to identify potential "hotspots" of hazardous chemical contamination in Ireland. The objective is to include samples of treated sludge produced from WWTPs destined for agricultural landspreading; soils from agricultural land known to have been treated with WWTP-generated biosolids; surficial sediments (riverine and coastal) with traceable links to effluent generated by WWTPs and other industrial activities such as electrical power or pharmaceutical manufacturing; and soil/sediment from sites prone to secondary contamination via flooding or heavy rainfall. Samples will be screened for concentrations of watch list chemicals such as; HFRs, PFASs, PCBs, SSAs/UVFs, antibiotics, anti-parasitics, and pyrethroids. TERRAChem which will also conduct a “best practice” review on the management and assessment of such chemicals in other European countries, will assist in the development of a prioritisation list of potential survey sites which require re-assessment or inclusion in a National Action programme for monitoring hazardous chemicals in Ireland.

Grant Approved

�349,999.77

Research Hub

Healthy Environment

Research Theme

n/a

Start Date

01/02/2022

Initial Projected Completion Date

31/01/2025