PCB contamination in fish community from the Gironde Estuary (France): Blast from the past
The contamination of the Gironde Estuary, southwest of France, by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was assessed using six fish of high ecological and economic importance as bioindicator species. The concentrations of 21 PCB congeners and total fat contents were determined in the muscle and liver of eels (Anguilla anguilla), seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax), flounders (Platichthys flesus), meagres (Argyrosomus regius), mullets (Liza ramada), and soles (Solea vulgaris). In addition, information regarding the trophic ecology of the studied fish was obtained through the analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes (i.e., d13C and d15N) in muscle. Results revealed high PCB concentrations in fish compared to monitored European estuaries. The muscle of eels was by far the most contaminated fish flesh (R7PCBs = 1000 ± 440 ng g1 on a dry weight basis), while the higher PCB concentrations in liver were measured in flounder (R7PCBs = 2040 ± 1160 ng g1 d.w.). A quantile regression approach allowed to investigate the fate of PCBs in the Gironde estuarine fish assemblage, and revealed a general process of trophic magnification. Finally, most of the analysed fish presented PCB concentrations in muscle meat above the current European maximum limits for sea products, while the derived 'Toxic Equivalent Quantity' (TEQ) revealed human health concerns only for high-fat fish consumption.
(Chemosphere. vol. 98, n° 0045-6535, pp. 66-72, 30/08/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UMR EME, IRD, IFREMER, UM, UR EABX, IRSTEA
Removal of xenobiotics from effluent discharge by adsorption on zeolite and expanded clay: an alternative to activated carbon?
Xenobiotics such as pesticides and pharmaceuticals are an increasingly large problem in aquatic environments. A fixed-bed adsorption filter, used as tertiary stage of sewage treatment, could be a solution to decrease xenobiotics concentrations in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) effluent. The adsorption efficiency of two mineral adsorbent materials (expanded clay (EC) and zeolite (ZE)), both seen as a possible alternative to activated carbon (AC), was evaluated in batch tests. Experiments involving secondary treated domestic wastewater spiked with a cocktail of ten xenobiotics (eight pharmaceuticals and two pesticides) known to be poorly eliminated in conventional biological process were carried out. Removal efficiencies and partitions coefficientswere calculated for two levels of initial xenobiotic concentration, i.e, concentrations lower to 10 microg/L and concentrations ranged from 100 to 1,000 microg/L. While AC was the most efficient adsorbent material, both alternative adsorbent materials showed good adsorption efficiencies for all ten xenobiotics (from 50 to 100 % depending on the xenobiotic/adsorbent material pair). For all the targeted xenobiotics, at lower concentrations, EC presented the best adsorption potential with higher partition coefficients, confirming the results in terms of removal efficiencies. Nevertheless, Zeolite presents virtually the same adsorption potential for both high and low xenobiotics concentrations to be treated. According to this first batch investigation, ZE and EC could be used as alternative absorbent materials to AC in WWTP.
(Environmental Science and Pollution Research. vol. 21, n° 0944-1344, pp. 5660-5668, 30/08/2026)
UR MALY, IRSTEA, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, UMR Qualisud, Cirad, UM1, UM2, Montpellier SupAgro, AU, UR, UM, Montpellier SupAgro
Contributions and potential impacts of seven priority substances (As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn) to a major European Estuary (Gironde Estuary, France) from urban wastewater
Urban wastewater metal inputs into coastal systems are of increasing interest to both scientists and managers facing restrictive environmental protection policies, population increase and changing metal applications. However, their impact and contribution to metal loads in estuarine and coastal environments is widely unknown due to the lack of (i) monitoring in both artificial and natural aquatic systems and (ii) an understanding of control parameters, such as spatial and temporal variations in hydrological conditions. We investigated the daily concentrations, fluxes and dynamics of seven EU priority contaminants (potentially toxic metals Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn and the metalloid As) transported by the Garonne River (La Réole site; watershed area ~ 57,000 km2) to those released into the freshwater reaches of the Gironde Estuary (Garonne Branch) by two main wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of Bordeaux under low river discharge and contrasting rainfall situations. During short intense summer rainstorms, wastewater flow into the WWTPs increased by up to 150% and 60%, respectively, resulting in an increase of 70% (As) to 200% (Pb) for fluxes entering the treatment plants. Overall resulting WWTP particulate and dissolved effluent concentrations were up to 2 (Cr), 3 (Pb, Cu and Ni) and 5 (Cd and Zn) times higher than measured upstream in the Garonne River, respectively. During low-discharge, maximum outlet fluxes at the WWTPs were similar to respective watershed-derived fluxes in the Garonne River. During rain events, Pb in all fractions, total and dissolved Cu and total and particulate Zn fluxes entering the fluvial estuary were close to the respective minimum flux values at the La Réole site. Furthermore, during rain episodes, particulate Cu and dissolved Zn fluxes from the WWTPs to the fluvial estuary were greater than those transported by the Garonne River at the La Réole site. Mixing of treated wastewater with highly turbid estuarine freshwater most likely results in a re-equilibration between the dissolved and particulate phases, although biogeochemical processes in downstream estuarine turbidity and salinity gradients may partly reverse contaminant adsorption on estuarine particles. Accordingly, urban wastewater contaminant release clearly impacts estuarine water quality before being expulsed to the Bay of Biscay.
(Marine Chemistry. vol. 167, n° 0304-4203, pp. 123-134, 30/08/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Persistent Organic Pollutants in a marine bivalve on the Marennes-Oléron Bay and the Gironde Estuary (French Atlantic coast) -Part 2: Potential biological effects
Contaminant effects on defence responses of ecologically and economically important organisms, such as the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, are likely to influence their ability to resist infectious diseases, particularly at the young stages. The aim of this study was to explore the potential relationships between organic contaminants accumulated in the soft tissues of juvenile oysters, defence responses and physiological condition. Oysters were transplanted during summer and winter periods in different sites in the Marennes-Oléron Bay, the first area of oyster production in France, and in the Gironde Estuary, the biggest estuary in Occidental Europe. Among the battery of biochemical and physiological biomarkers applied in the present work (superoxide dismutase -SOD-, catalase, glutathione peroxidase -GPx-, malondyaldehyde -MDA-, catecholase, laccase and lysozyme in gills, digestive gland, mantle and haemolymph, glycogen, proteins and lipids in the digestive gland and the condition index at the whole organism level), MDA and lysozyme in the digestive gland and SOD, GPx and laccase in plasma contibuted to significantly discriminate sites in which oysters bioaccumulated different levels of heavy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HPAHs), polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), polybromodiphenylethers (PBDEs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) and lindane. These results strengthen the hypothesis that it is possible to differentiate sites depending on their contamination levels and biological effects by carrying out studies with transplanted juvenile oysters. In addition, correlations between antioxidant and immune defence responses and PAH and DDT body burdens in the first area of oyster production in France, the Marennes-Oléron Bay, and where massive oyster mortalities have been reported, suggest that the presence of organic chemical contaminants in the Marennes-Oléron Bay may influence defence responses in juveniles of C. gigas, and, therefore, could influence their ability to resist infectious diseases.
(Science of the Total Environment. vol. 514, n° 0048-9697, pp. 511-522, 30/08/2026)
PUJ, LIENSs, INSU - CNRS, ULR, CNRS, UB, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Influence of sediment composition on PAH toxicity using zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) embryo-larval assays
Due to hydrophobic and persistent properties, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have a high capacity to accumulate in sediment. Sediment quality criteria, for the assessment of habitat quality and risk for aquatic life, include understanding the fate and effects of PAHs. In the context of European regulation (REACH and Water Framework Directive), the first objective was to assess the influence of sediment composition on the toxicity of two model PAHs, benzo[a]pyrene and fluoranthene using 10 day-zebrafish embryo-larval assay. This procedure was undertaken with an artificial sediment in order to limit natural sediment variability. A suitable sediment composition might be then validated for zebrafish and proposed in a new OECD guideline for chemicals testing. Second, a comparative study of toxicity responses from this exposure protocol was then performed using another OECD species, the Japanese medaka. The potential toxicity of both PAHs was assessed through lethal (e.g. survival, hatching success) and sublethal endpoints (e.g. abnormalities, PMR and EROD) measured at different developmental stages, adapted to the embryonic development time of both species. Regarding effects observed for both species, a suitable artificial sediment composition for PAH toxicity testing was set at 92.5 % dw silica of 0.2-0.5 mm grain size, 5 % dw kaolin clay without organic matter for zebrafish and 2.5 % dw blond peat in more only for Japanese medaka. PAH bioavailability and toxicity were highly dependent on the fraction of organic matter in sediment and of the Kow coefficients of the tested compounds. The biological responses observed were also dependent of the species under consideration. Japanese medaka embryos appeared more robust than zebrafish embryos for understanding the toxicity of PAHs due to the longer exposure duration and it lower sensitivity of sediment physical properties.
(Environmental Science and Pollution Research. vol. 21, n° 0944-1344, pp. 13703 - 13719, 30/08/2026)
LIENSs, INSU - CNRS, ULR, CNRS, IFREMER, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, LPGP, INRA, Biosit : Biologie - Santé - Innovation Technologique
Video Monitoring and Field Measurements of a Rapidly Evolving Coastal System: the River Mouth and Sand Spit of the Mataquito River in Chile
The understanding of morphological processes controlling the evolution of sand spit reformation after a tsunami impact is a challenging and interesting topic, especially in highly energetic and micro tidal environments. A field campaign performed during December 2012 at the Mataquito River mouth in Chile, allowed us to simultaneously monitor topo-bathymetry evolution, wave climate, tidal range, swash zone dynamics and upper beach face evolution over a portion of its sand spit. A video system was set up for a continuous and long-term monitoring of the evolution of the river mouth and sand spit. Primarily, in this work we focus on the application of a video-derived shoreline detection method to assess shoreline evolution and beach cusps migration at hourly scales. We test the method performance on short-term episodic migration of beach cusps recorded during the campaign. Beach face variations at a daily scale were observed, which can be attributed to the migration of beach cusps in the alongshore direction, and linked to wave forcing and alongshore sediment transport.
(Journal of Coastal Research. vol. SI 70, n° 0749-0208, pp. 639-644, 30/08/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, ECOLA, LEGOS, IRD, UT3, Comue de Toulouse, INSU - CNRS, CNES, CNRS
Morphodynamic characterisation of the human-impacted Bight of Benin sand barrier coast, West Africa
(Journal of Coastal Research. vol. SI 70, n° 0749-0208, pp. 079-083, 30/08/2026)
CEREGE, IRD, INRA, AMU, CdF (institution), INSU - CNRS, CNRS, ECOLA, LEGOS, IRD, UT3, Comue de Toulouse, INSU - CNRS, CNES, CNRS, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, OLVAC, LEGOS, IRD, UT3, Comue de Toulouse, INSU - CNRS, CNES, CNRS
Beach cusp dynamics on a reflective beach
Beach cusps are common feature of steep reflective and intermediate beaches. However very few observations reported double coupled cusp systems. Here we present a data set of observations of a beach exhibiting two sets of beach cusps. Data were collected at Grand Popo Beach (Benin, West Africa) in February 2013. Daily topographic survey along a 380m long stretch of shore allowed observing the dynamic of the two set of beach cusps. At the beginning of the field survey, we clearly observe two sets of cusps : the upper beach cusps system is relatively asymetric with a typical wavelength of about 45 m while the lower beach cusps system is relatively symmetric with a typical wave length slightly shorter (about 35 m). After two days, we measured the total destruction of the lower set of beach cusps while the upper set of beach cusps was only partially des tructed. Data suggest that destruction of the lowerbeach cusp system may be related to persistent accretions conditions and/or calm conditions but probably also to the transition from wave- driven circulation dominated by weak alongshore currents with flash and swash rips, to a second period characterized by dominant longshore current further increasing in speed, and rare swash rips. On the other hand the disappearance of the western upper beach cusp might be related to an accretion pattern and to the merging of two individual features. Our observations, consistent with previous works, suggest that beach cusps certainly arise as a result of some combination of erosion and accretion.
(Journal of Coastal Research. vol. SI 70, n° 0749-0208, pp. 669-674, 30/08/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS, ECOLA, LEGOS, IRD, UT3, Comue de Toulouse, INSU - CNRS, CNES, CNRS, LEGOS, IRD, UT3, Comue de Toulouse, INSU - CNRS, CNES, CNRS, UAC
Effect of Low-Dose Cadmium Exposure on DNA Methylation in the Endangered European Eel
There is increasing evidence that epigenetics can play a key role in the etiology of diseases engendered by chronic pollutant exposure. Although epigenetics has received significant attention in the field of biomedicine during the last years, epigenetics research is surprisingly very limited in ecotoxicology. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible effects of low-dose cadmium exposure on the DNA methylation profile in a critically endangered fish species, the European eel. Eels were exposed to environmentally realistic concentrations of cadmium (0.4 and 4 μg•L −1) during 45 days. The global CpG methylation status of eel liver was determined by means of a homemade ELISA assay. We then used a methylation-sensitive arbitrarily primed PCR method to identify genes that are differentially methylated between control and Cd-exposed eels. Our results show that cadmium exposure is associated with DNA hypermethylation and with a decrease in total RNA synthesis. Among hypermethylated sequences identified, several fragments presented high homologies with genes encoding for proteins involved in intracellular trafficking, lipid biosynthesis, and phosphatidic acid signaling pathway. In addition, few fragments presented high homologies with retrotransposon-like sequences. Our study illustrates how DNA methylation can be involved in the chronic stress response to Cd in fish.
(Environmental Science and Technology. vol. 48, n° 0013-936X, pp. 797-803, 30/08/2026)
EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS
Etude intégrée de l’effet des apports amont et locaux sur le fonctionnement de la Garonne estuarienne (ETIAGE) : Addendum année 4 Avril 2013 - Mars 2014
Le programme ETIAGE a été mis en place avec pour objectif de répondre aux questions suivantes : que représentent les apports des effluents de la Communauté Urbaine de Bordeaux (CUB) par rapport à ceux venant de l’amont en termes de charge organique et de micro-polluants ? Quels rôles sur le devenir des effluents jouent la présence du bouchon vaseux et la stagnation résiduelle des eaux (déplacement net entre mouvement de flot et de jusant) au niveau de l’estuaire fluvial amont en période d’étiage estival ? Réciproquement, à quels moments et jusqu’où s’étend l’impact de ces effluents sur la qualité des eaux de la Garonne estuarienne ? Quelles incidences des effluents sur le comportement des populations biologiques en place ou migratoires dans la Garonne estuarienne ? Quelle tendance évolutive va connaître l’oxygénation des eaux ? Quel sera l’impact sur le comportement des micro-polluants et des populations biologiques ? Quelles recommandations de gestion pourraient être préconisées à partir de la synthèse des pressions exercées sur les eaux de la Garonne estuarienne ? Le programme est divisé en 5 axes, dont les bilans de travail sont présentés axe par axe.
(pp. 152, 30/08/2026)
UR EABX, IRSTEA, EPOC, EPHE, PSL, UB, INSU - CNRS, CNRS