Abstract
The pharmaceutical compounds were analyzed in 14 sampling sites and pointed out the pollution sources related to raw sewage input and urban drainage discharge. Five medicine compounds, one illicit drug, and its metabolite were the higher measured content using analytical improvements tailored to identify and quantify organic compounds in low water content. The use of SPE cartridges followed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) points out the Guavirutuba tributary as the primary water pollution source with higher concentrations in 2011 for pharmaceuticals, cocaine, and benzoylecgonine (metabolite) in the range of 6.7 ± 0.9 ng L-1 to 27.386 ± 142 ng L-1. The Jaceguay stream also located in Guarapiranga was the most preserved area and provided analytical values correspondent which lowered contamination content. Such concentrations mean a possible and feasible water restoration target. The most common compounds (above 90% samples) were: caffeine, atenolol, carbamazepine, cocaine, and benzoylecgonine. The integrated risk index for aquatic chemical pollution (IRICAP) confirms the higher contamination near Guavirutuba stream and the lower near the Jaceguay stream. Published results of cocaine and benzoylecgonine content in Guarapiranga basin corroborated with the analytical results.
Highlights
The São Paulo Metropolitan Area (SPMR) is the most significant metropolitan area of the South America Continent, with 20,935,204 million of inhabitants [1], and the highly financial, industrial and commercial capital of Brazil
The application of SPE-LC-MS/MS a validated method to measure 7 pharmaceuticals compounds in Guarapiranga waters collected from 14 sampling sites, Table 2
The detection frequency was 100% for caffeine, followed by atenolol (98%), carbamazepine (95%), benzoylecgonine (93%), chlorthalidone (83%), cocaine (76%) the detection frequency was lower than 74% for other pharmaceuticals, some of them below MLD or between MLD and MLQ
Summary
The São Paulo Metropolitan Area (SPMR) is the most significant metropolitan area of the South America Continent, with 20,935,204 million of inhabitants [1], and the highly financial, industrial and commercial capital of Brazil. The Guarapiranga reservoir is the second largest water source in São Paulo Metropolitan Area and responsible for 14,000 liters/second of potable water supply to 4 million inhabitants [2]. In 2015, a severe drought started the worst water crisis in 80 years. During such period the Guarapiranga reservoir, as a result of its particular geography, was less threatened for water scarcity and kept the water supply in a reasonably safe level with potable water sustainability and production [3]. The basin area can be considered as water municipality transboundary pollution
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