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A team led by the CSIC has detected 59 pollutants in water, including insecticides and pharmaceuticals with neurotoxic and bioaccumulative effects
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La Campiña de Carmona (Seville), Los Saladares del Guadalentín (Murcia), and Las Hoces del Turia y Los Serranos (Valencia) are the areas most affected
Ebro Delta, one of the areas of high ecological value studied. | Sílvia Lacorte
Researchers from the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), the Institute for Game and Wildfire Research (IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), and the Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO/BirdLife) have detected 59 micropollutants in 140 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) across Spain. These are sites identified by BirdLife International as having special protection status. Pharmaceuticals, pesticides, perfluorinated compounds, nicotine, and caffeine, among other chemical compounds, were found in the water samples analysed. The results indicate that agricultural activity and populated urban areas are the primary sources of pollution. The areas most significantly affected include La Campiña de Carmona (Seville), Los Saladares del Guadalentín (Murcia), and Las Hoces del Turia y los Serranos (Valencia).
“Fifteen of the 59 pollutants detected pose a high risk to the aquatic ecosystems of the IBAs. The substances of most concern include the insecticide chlorpyrifos, due to its neurotoxical effect; the antidepressant venlafaxine, which impacts aquatic organisms and is widely distributed in water; and the perfluorinated compound PFOS, known for its high capacity to bioaccumulate”, explains Maria Dulsat-Masvidal, IDAEA predoctoral researcher and first author of the study.
This study is part of the Ciencia LIBERA project, developed by SEO/BirdLife in partnership with Ecoembes and in collaboration with IDAEA-CSIC and IREC-CSIC. The project aims to increase understanding, raise awareness, and mobilise citizens around the issue of diffuse waste in natural environments – known in Spanish as “basuraleza”.
Download the press release (in Spanish)
Maria Dulsat-Masvidal, Carlos Ciudad, Octavio Infante, Rafael Mateo, Silvia Lacorte. Water pollution threats in Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas from Spain. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 130938. (2023) DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.130938
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