Trace Analysis of Antidepressant Pharmaceuticals and Their Select Degradates in Aquatic Matrixes by LC/ESI/MS/MS

Abstract

Treated wastewater effluent is a potential environmental point source for antidepressant pharmaceuticals. A quantitative method was developed for the determination of trace levels of antidepressants in environmental aquatic matrixes using solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Recoveries of parent antidepressants from matrix spiking experiments for the individual antidepressants ranged from 72 to 118% at low concentrations (0.5 ng/L) and 70 to 118% at high concentrations (100 ng/L) for the solid-phase extraction method. Method detection limits for the individual antidepressant compounds ranged from 0.19 to 0.45 ng/L. The method was applied to wastewater effluent and samples collected from a wastewater-dominated stream. Venlafaxine was the predominant antidepressant observed in wastewater and river water samples. Individual antidepressant concentrations found in the wastewater effluent ranged from 3 (duloxetine) to 2190 ng/L (venlafaxine), whereas individual concentrations in the waste-dominated stream ranged from 0.72 (norfluoxetine) to 1310 ng/L (venlafaxine).

Reconnaissance of persistent and emerging contaminants in the Shenandoah and James River Basins, Virginia, during Spring of 2007

“…The antidepressant venlafaxine, currently the 13th most prescribed drug in the United States and sold under the tradename Effexor (RxList, 2008), was detected at several sites. The detected amounts of venlafaxine in the POCIS extracts (<0.9-46 ng/POCIS) are much lower than levels detected in WWTP effluent dominated stream samples (600-1,000 ng/L) reported by Schultz and Furlong (2008). Little is known about the long-term chronic effects due to exposure to trace concentrations of pharmaceuticals; however, effects are expected to occur as the pharmaceuticals are designed to elicit a biological response (Daughton and Ternes, 1999).…”

“…Two analyses of the POCIS extracts were performed: one for a suite of commonly used prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, and a second for current use antidepressants. Instrumental parameters for these analyses have been previously described (Alvarez and others, 2008a;Cahill and others, 2004;Schultz and Furlong, 2008).…”

“…For the current-use antidepressants, the LOQ is on the order of 0.9 ng/POCIS, based on the LOQ reported in Schultz and Furlong (2008). No data because of insufficient amounts of sample available for analysis.…”

Xenobiotics Removal by Membrane Technology: An Overview

“…Carbamazepine and paracetamol were found at high concentrations, 300 ng/L and 11.3 mg/L respectively, in the Hérault area, France [108]. High concentrations of antidepressants in Minnesota, USA [120] and pharmaceuticals in the Berlin area, Germany [50] were also measured.…”

“…Concentrations of xenobiotics up to µg/L were measured in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents, showing an incomplete removal by conventional treatment processes all over the world [11,68,153,57,67,142,120]. Batt et al [12] measured a total concentration of active pharmaceuticals up to 3,000 ng/L in New Mexico of which carbamazepine concentration was up to 800 ng/L.…”