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Abstract

Pollution by brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has the potential to alter the composition and activity of natural bacterial communities. However, the variation of bacterial communities under the combined influence of both pollutants was not clear. In order to investigate the distinct impacts, two sampling campaigns were carried out in an estuary contaminated with both BFRs and PFAS. An intriguing finding was that the bacterial communities exhibited obvious different responses to PFAS and BFRs pollution. This implies that different types of organic pollutants exert diverse promoting or inhibitory effects on bacterial taxa, which may further result in distinct changes in the functions of microorganisms. Moreover, the results of the effects of individual PFAS and BFR substances on bacterial communities revealed that pollutants with different molecular structures have varying impacts on the microbial community. Certain bacterial taxa showed specific responses to BDE209 (Decabromodiphenyl ether), PBDEs (poly brominated diphenyl ethers), and PFO5DoA (perfluorinated 3,5,7,9, 11-pentaxododecanoic acid). This suggests that bacterial communities have a particular response to substances containing ether bonds or long perfluorocarbon chains. Additionally, a number of PFAS-associated bacterial taxa were consistent with the findings of our previous microcosm experiments. This confirms that the PFAS-related taxa monitored in this study truly reflect the response of the bacterial community to contamination. The present study offers novel perspectives on the relationships between emerging contaminants, traditional organic pollutants, and native bacterial communities, and is expected to facilitate the achievement of high-resolution bacteria-based organic pollution monitoring in coastal and estuary ecosystems.

Keywords

BFRs and PFAS pollution; Estuary; Particle associate bacteria community; Organic pollutants differential effect on; bacteria community

Published in

Journal of Hazardous Materials
2025, volume: 498, article number: 139899
Publisher: ELSEVIER

SLU Authors

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences
Microbiology

Publication identifier

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.139899

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/144024