Widespread Distribution of Aniline Accelerators and Antioxidants across Urbanized Coasts

Urbanized coasts have been contaminated by myriad chemicals of anthropogenic origin. Aniline accelerators and antioxidants (AAs) are two suites of industrial additives of mounting concern due to their environmental ubiquity and (eco)toxicity. Nevertheless, multimedia fate and large-scale spatiotemporal patterns of AAs in coastal environments have yet to be thoroughly investigated. Herein, we conducted a comprehensive surveillance of commonly utilized AAs and their transformation products in multiseasonal filtered water, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and sediments collected from the East China Sea (ECS) coasts adjacent to highly urbanized regions. The total concentrations of all analytes in ECS bulk water and sediments ranged from 0.009-286 ng/L and 0.028-124 ng/g, respectively. Our study revealed that the pervasiveness, spatioseasonal trends, and dissolved-SPM partitioning of AAs in the coastal compartments were influenced by environmental conditions, transport distances, physicochemical properties of contaminants, and nearby socioeconomic status, particularly vehicle ownership densities surrounding major estuaries. Risk quotients suggested non-negligible threats to the ECS ecosystems posed by several AAs. Total loads and mass inventories of our analytes in the ECS sediments have rivalled those reported for various established pollutants. This study unravels multicompartmental characteristics of AAs across urbanized coasts, calling for effective monitoring and regulation to mitigate their adverse impacts on marine ecosystems.