A field-monitoring-informed assessment for effect-based prioritization of pharmaceutically active compounds in freshwater lakes: A case study in Taihu Lake, China

By integrating spatial patterns of concentrations and ecological risks, northern and western lake regions were further identified as priority control areas. To examine whether measured ambient concentrations could elicit adverse biological effects, representative compounds (CAFF, CBZ, SMX, and mirtazapine) and a fixed-ratio mixture based on the compound-specific ambient maxima measured in this study were tested in zebrafish.

Single and combined exposures induced developmental, behavioral, and transcriptomic responses associated with neurodevelopment, endocrine regulation, and energy metabolism, and a descriptive treatment-mean Bliss- independence benchmark suggested that observed mixture effects were generally lower than Bliss-expected ef fects, with no evidence of greater-than-Bliss responses. Overall, this study provides a field-monitoring-informed and effect-based framework for identifying priority pharmaceutical pollutants and potential control areas, of fering a practical basis for targeted pollution management in freshwater ecosystems.