Abstract
Twelve selected pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, analgesics, antiepileptics and lipid regulators were analysed and detected in water samples collected from 18 sampling sections along the three main urban rivers in Yangpu District of Shanghai, China during four sampling campaigns. Besides, algal growth inhibition test was conducted to preliminarily assess the eco-toxicology induced by the target pharmaceuticals in the rivers. Mean levels for most of target compounds were generally below 100 ng/L at sampling sections, with the exception of caffeine and paracetamol presenting considerably high concentration. The detected pharmaceuticals in the urban rivers ranged from <LOQ for propranolol to 8571 ng/L for caffeine. Qiujiang River could be regarded as the most polluted according to total detected pharmaceutical concentrations. The target pharmaceuticals varied and fluctuated irregularly from the upstreams to the downstreams of the three rivers, indicating the wastewater inputs from non-point sources and their individual different characteristics of transference and transportation. Preliminary eco-toxicological risk assessment showed that the presence of azithromycin, clarithromycin and caffeine may present an ecotoxicological risk in the urban rivers. For other tested pharmaceuticals the inhibition effects of single substances in the urban aquatic environment, based on the algae inhibition tests, were very imperceptible.
Highlights
Twelve selected pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, analgesics, antiepileptics and lipid regulators were analysed and detected in water samples collected from 18 sampling sections along the three main urban rivers in Yangpu District of Shanghai, China during four sampling campaigns
Numerous pharmaceuticals and their metabolites have been introduced in urban aquatic ecosystems, mainly originating from effluents of wastewater treatment plants[4], as these micro-pollutants could not be completely removed by the conventional treatment processes adopted in the plants[5,6,7]
Anti-inflammatory ibuprofen and diclofenac, antibiotics azithromycin and clarithromycin, antipyretic analgesics paracetamol, and psychomotor stimulants caffeine could be regarded as wastewater tracers[8]
Summary
Twelve selected pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, analgesics, antiepileptics and lipid regulators were analysed and detected in water samples collected from 18 sampling sections along the three main urban rivers in Yangpu District of Shanghai, China during four sampling campaigns. Preliminary eco-toxicological risk assessment showed that the presence of azithromycin, clarithromycin and caffeine may present an ecotoxicological risk in the urban rivers. Pharmaceutical residuals discharged into the aquatic environment may cause unexpected and harmful consequences on human health and aquatic organisms because they have been specially designed to exert biological effects even at very low concentration levels[3] Numerous pharmaceuticals and their metabolites have been introduced in urban aquatic ecosystems, mainly originating from effluents of wastewater treatment plants[4], as these micro-pollutants could not be completely removed by the conventional treatment processes adopted in the plants[5,6,7]. The pharmaceuticals that are frequently present in the urban aquatic environment, originating from effluent of wastewater treatment plants or non-point source sewage has been referred to as wastewater-marking pharmaceuticals[8] They could reflect the status or trend of wastewater contamination. The ecotoxicological risk assessment showed that the presence of all studied pharmaceuticals involved a high toxicological risk at short and long term to Doñana ecosystem
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