Occurrence Of Caffeine In Water And Sediment From Santos Bay (Sao Paulo, Brazil) And Hazard Quotient Estimation

Abstract

Several studies have demonstrated the environmental impact caused by the disposal of drugs in water bodies after the release of treated and untreated effluents. Caffeine is classified as an emerging contaminant, being present in numerous pharmaceutical products, beverages, foods and cosmetics. After consumption, it is thrown into the sea through submarine sewage outfalls. The objectives of this study were: (i) to detect and quantify caffeine concentrations in marine surface waters in Santos Bay, SP; (ii) verify whether the concentrations found in Santos Bay are capable of triggering toxic effects to marine organisms as per previous studies; (iii) analyze the environmental hazard (HQ) using local concentrations of caffeine; (iv) propose caffeine as a chemical marker of effluent contamination in Santos Bay, SP. It was observed that the concentrations of caffeine found in the Santos Bay ranged from 206 ng L-1 to 1,322 ng L-1 in water and between 4.10 ng g-1 to 13.10 ng g-1in sediment, being considered high compared to others marine ecosystems. It was observed that there is a potential hazard related to chronic effects, since the HQ ranged from 26 to 132 in water and from 27.33 to 87.33 to sediment samples.