Occurrence of emerging contaminants in Jakarta Bay, Indonesia: pharmaceuticals and personal care products

Abstract

Contamination by emerging contaminants of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) has been a matter of global concern due to increasing their occurrence in the environment and their potential toxic effect. Despite the increasing number of publications on PPCPs in aquatic environments worldwide, only very few data are available in Indonesia. This study aims to determine PPCPs in the surface water of Jakarta Bay to understand their occurrence and distribution. Surface water was collected from 17 stations in September 2018. Samples were analyzed for 74 compounds of PPCPs using Ultra-fast Liquid Chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. In general, among PPCPs analyzed, 20 compounds occur in seawater from Jakarta Bay, of which 15 PPCPs were detected in 50% of the sampling stations. Among PPCPs detected, N,N-diethyl-3-toluamide (DEET), Ibuprofen, O-desmethyl tramadol, Mefenamic acid, Sulfamethoxazole and Tramadol were the predominant with mean and range concentrations of 51(nd-170), 6.9(nd-22), 6.5(nd-31), 4.8(nd-13), 2.2(nd-6.1), and 131.9(nd-4.8) ng/l, respectively. Whereas the other PPCPs were one or more orders of magnitude lower. Generally, concentrations of PPCPs were higher in the inner bay than outer bays. Another study from freshwater rivers which flow to Jakarta Bay showed a high concentration of DEET indicating that the environment was an essential source of PPCPs.

Southeast Asia’s environmental challenges: emergence of new contaminants and advancements in testing methods

“…After China’s waste import bans in 2018, statistics from the Badan Pusat Statistik revealed a staggering 141% surge in Indonesia’s plastic waste imports, amounting to 283,152 tons ( Badan Pustak Statistik, 2018 ). In addition to microplastics, increasing aquaculture operations in this region have resulted in a significant increase in the presence of pharmaceuticals of emerging concern ( Hidayati et al, 2021 ; Sudaryanto et al, 2023 ).…”

Environmental Sample Stability for Pharmaceutical Compound Analysis: Handling and Preservation Recommendations

“…Te ubiquity of pharmaceuticals, including acetaminophen (ACM), oxytetracycline (OTC), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), trimethoprim (TMP), and 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2), has raised concerns regarding their environmental impact [6][7][8]. In the context of this study, these selected pharmaceuticals hold particular signifcance as they are currently priority targets in Indonesia's eforts to detect their presence in aquatic environments and assess associated environmental risks [9][10][11][12]. ACM, or paracetamol, is a globally widespread antipyretic and analgesic, often used as a primary treatment for headaches, including migraines, a signifcant contributor to disability, particularly among young women [13][14][15][16].…”

“…The ubiquity of pharmaceuticals, including acetaminophen (ACM), oxytetracycline (OTC), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), trimethoprim (TMP), and 17 α -ethynylestradiol (EE2), has raised concerns regarding their environmental impact [ 6 – 8 ]. In the context of this study, these selected pharmaceuticals hold particular significance as they are currently priority targets in Indonesia's efforts to detect their presence in aquatic environments and assess associated environmental risks [ 9 – 12 ].…”

Combination of activated carbon/ultrafiltration as pre-treatment for seawater reverse osmosis plants

“…Jakarta is one of Indonesia's largest cities, with an inhabitant of about 10.56 million peoples [1]. Jakarta's growing economy, rapidly growing population, industrialization, and coastline development significantly contributed to higher demand for safe drinking water [2]. In accordance with water demand projections for 2019, Jakarta's water demand is 1.03 billion m 3 , with groundwater becoming the primary source of drinking water, with 66% supplied by groundwater and 34% supplied by PAM JAYA pipe drinking water.…”