Ebro delta, one of the high ecological value areas studied. Source: 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 the presence of 59 micropollutants in 140 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Spain, which are areas with special protection identified by BirdLife International. Pharmaceuticals, pesticides, perfluorinated compounds, nicotine, and caffeine, among other chemical compounds, have been found in the studied water samples. The results show that agricultural activities and densely urbanized areas are the main pollution sources. The areas with the most significant impact of pollution are La Campiña de Carmona (Seville), Los Saladares del Guadalentín (Murcia), and Las Hoces del Turia y los Serranos (Valencia).
“15 out of the 59 pollutants found present high risk levels for the IBA’s aquatic ecosystems. The most concern substances that we have detected are the insecticide chlorpyrifos due to its neurotoxical effect, the antidepressant venlafaxine because it affects aquatic organisms and is widely distributed in water, and the perfluorinated compound PFOS because of its high bioaccumulation capacity”, declares 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 alliance with Ecoembes and in collaboration with IDAEA-CSIC and IREC-CSIC, which aims to know, raise awareness and mobilise citizens about the problem of diffuse waste in natural environments (“Basuraleza”).
Nota de prensa (ESP)
Nota de premsa (CAT)
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
