Profile, tissue distribution and time trend of bisphenol plastic additives in freshwater wildlife of the Pearl River ecosystem, China.

Plastic - related contaminants in the environment have attracted increasing attentions as plastic pollution becoming a serious issue globally. This work investigated potential of bioaccumulation and biotransfer of bisphenol compounds that are widely added in various products such as plastics and other products in a freshwater ecosystem, China. Among commonly applied 14 bisphenol analogues (BPs), bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol S (BPS) were predominant, representing 64-100% of the total concentrations of bisphenols (ΣBPs) in the freshwater wildlife. Both the concentrations and analogue profiles in the fish showed seasonal differences and species dependence. Higher BP concentrations were observed in the fish collected during dry season than wet season. Higher percentages of non-BPA analogues (e.g. BPS and BPF) were observed in the fish of wet season. The pelagic species accumulated obviously higher BPs than the midwater and bottom species. The liver generally contained the highest ΣBPs, followed successively by the swimming bladder, belly fat, and dorsal muscle. The analogue profile also showed somewhat differences among tissues, varying by species and season. Lower ΣBPs but higher percentages of non-BPA analogues were observed in the female than male common carp. Time trends of the BPA concentration in the fish varied by species, probably related with habitats and diets of the fish. Habitats, feeding behaviors, and trophic transfer may have significant impacts on exposure of the wildlife to the BPs in natural ecosystems. The BPs did not demonstrate strong potential of bioaccumulation. More research is warranted about metabolism and transgenerational transfer of the BPs in wildlife in order to fully reveal bioaccumulation and consequently ecological risks of these chemicals in the environment.