Occurrence and spatial distribution of statins, fibrates and their metabolites in aquatic environments

Abstract

Due to widespread occurrence of lipid lowering drugs such as statins, fibrates and their metabolites in the aquatic environments, there is a worldwide growing concern in their role in water quality and aquatic biota. However, this concern is limited by ability to address their occurrence, distribution, fate and eco-toxicological effects. This study focuses on the quantification of the levels of statins, fibrates and their metabolites in the aquatic environments using Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to high resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS). The developed UHPLC–QTOF–MS based method was successfully applied to the analysis of statins, fibrates and metabolites in real water samples collected from Daspoort WWWs influent and effluent and Apies River. A series of statin compounds (mevastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin, fluvastatin, atorvastatin), fibrates (gemfibrozil, fenofibrate) and the corresponding metabolites (clofibric and fenofibric acids) were detected and quantified in the range of 0.56–19.90 µg/L in both waste and River water samples. In general, the results of the present study are an indication of pollution hazards from wastewater treatment processes and these levels poses a huge risk to the growth and reproduction of aquatic organisms. Thus, regulating the limit levels of statins, fibrates and metabolites in any type of water is paramount as it will provide the vital information on the toxic risks associated with organic pollutants of pharmaceutical origin.