Co-contaminants of ethinylestradiol and sulfamethoxazole in groundwater exacerbate ecotoxicity and ecological risk and compromise the energy budget of C. elegans

Ethinylestradiol (EE2) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) are among pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and regarded as emerging contaminants in groundwater worldwide. However, the ecotoxicity and potential risk of these co-contaminants remain unknown. We investigated the effects of early-life long-term co-exposure to EE2 and SMX in groundwater on life-history traits of Caenorhabditis elegans and determined potential ecological risks in groundwater. L1 larvae of wild-type N2 C. elegans were exposed to measured concentrations of EE2 (0.001, 0.75, 5.1, 11.8 mg/L) or SMX (0.001, 1, 10, 100 mg/L) or co-exposed to EE2 (0.75 mg/L, no observed adverse effect level derived from its reproductive toxicity) and SMX (0.001, 1, 10, 100 mg/L) in groundwater. Growth and reproduction were monitored on days 0 - 6 of the exposure period. Toxicological data were analyzed using DEBtox modeling to determine the physiological modes of action (pMoAs) and the predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs) to estimate ecological risks posed by EE2 and SMX in global groundwater. Early-life EE2 exposure significantly inhibited the growth and reproduction of C. elegans, with lowest observed adverse effect levels (LOAELs) of 11.8 and 5.1 mg/L, respectively. SMX exposure impaired the reproductive capacity of C. elegans (LOAEL = 0.001 mg/L). Co-exposure to EE2 and SMX exacerbated ecotoxicity (LOAELs of 1 mg/L SMX for growth, and 0.001 mg/L SMX for reproduction). DEBtox modeling showed that the pMoAs were increased growth and reproduction costs for EE2 and increased reproduction costs for SMX. The derived PNEC falls within the range of detected environmental levels of EE2 and SMX in groundwater worldwide. The pMoAs for EE2 and SMX combined were increased growth and reproduction costs, resulting in lower energy threshold values than single exposure. Based on global groundwater contamination data and energy threshold values, we calculated risk quotients for EE2 (0.1 - 123.0), SMX (0.2 - 91.3), and combination of EE2 and SMX (0.4 - 341.1). Our findings found that co-contamination by EE2 and SMX exacerbates toxicity and ecological risk to non-target organisms, suggesting that the ecotoxicity and ecological risk of co-contaminants of pharmaceuticals should be considered to sustainably manage groundwater and aquatic ecosystems.