Oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the surface water environment: Occurrence, ecotoxicity, and sources

Oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OPAHs) have been ubiquitously detected in atmospheric, soil, sediment, and water environments, some of which show higher concentrations and toxicities than the parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The occurrence, source, fate, risks and methods of analysis for OPAHs in the atmosphere, soil, and the whole environment (comprising the atmosphere, soil, water, and biota) have been reviewed, but reviews focusing on OPAHs in the water environment have been lacking. Due to the higher polarity and water solubility of OPAHs than PAHs, OPAHs exist preferentially in water environments. In this review, the occurrence, ecological toxicity and source of OPAHs in surface water environments are investigated in detail. Most OPAHs show higher concentrations than the corresponding PAHs in surface water environments. OPAHs pose non-ignorable ecological risks to surface water ecosystems. Wastewater treatment plant effluent, atmospheric deposition, surface runoff, photochemical and microbiological transformation, and sediment release are possible sources for OPAHs in surface water. This review will fill important knowledge gaps on the migration and transformation of typical OPAHs in multiple media and their environmental impact on surface water environments. Further studies on OPAHs in the surface environment, including their ecotoxicity with the co-existing PAHs and mass flows of OPAHs from atmospheric deposition, surface runoff, transformation from PAHs, and sediment release, are also encouraged.