Survey of the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in Spanish finished drinking waters

Abstract

Fifty samples of finished drinking waters (FDWs) from Spain covering 12 million inhabitants were tested for 53 pharmaceuticals pertaining to 12 different Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system codes. The studied compounds are a combination of most commonly consumed pharmaceuticals with other barely reported in the literature. Five compounds, azithromycin, clarithromycin, erythromycin, sulfamethoxazole, and ibuprofen were tentatively identified by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in some samples (2 to 15 %), but only ibuprofen and azithromycin could be confirmed when analyzed by liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) with a quadrupole-Orbitrap instrument. Concentration levels of ibuprofen in the positive samples ranged from 12 to 17 ng/L (n = 6) while for azithromycin values from 5 to 9.5 ng/L (n = 3) were found. Ibuprofen fragmentation behaviour in different mass spectrometry instrument configurations (triple quadrupole, quadrupole-ion trap, and quadrupole-Orbitrap) was evaluated.

Occurrence of pharmaceuticals in surface waters: analytical method development and environmental risk assessment

“…Paracetamol 250 (max) [1] 10000 (max) [2] 154 -634 [3] n.d. -872 [4] Phenazone 950 (max) [5] bql-13 [ 1.9 -3.5 [20] 26-1014 [24] Fenofibrate 9 (max) [6] 1200 (max) [5] n.d. Table SD2. Physicochemical properties of the target pharmaceuticals.…”

Determination of Pharmaceuticals in Coastal Systems Using Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) Followed by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography – tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS)

“…Recent studies have demonstrated that a combination of the widespread use of pharmaceuticals (PhACs) and their relative inefficient removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) leads to the detection of low concentrations of these chemicals (sub-ppb levels) in most sewage-impacted aquatic systems [1][2][3][4]. The presence of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in the receiving waters is concerning as it can represent a threat not only for humans through drinking water intake [5][6] or development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria [7], but also for aquatic organisms [8]. At the same time, chronic and acute toxicity caused by PhACs and other organic micro-contaminants is an open question.…”

Pharmaceuticals in aquatic environment. Fate and behaviour, ecotoxicology and risk assessment – A review

“…Of 40 pharmaceuticals present in raw sewage, 28 were removed by conventional methods (filtration through a sand bed, chlorination and ozonation). Despite the use of both conventional and advanced treatment methods (including reverse osmosis, considered the most effective), some chemical compounds were still present in treated wastewater: benzoylgonine, iopromide, caffeine, nicotine, cotinine, erythromycin, and paracetamol (38).…”