Abstract
The presence of pharmaceutical compounds in the whole environment is a growing concern. These compounds might be present in the effluents of wastewater treatment plants and, hence, irrigation with treated sewage may be a source of groundwater pollution. The volcanic aquifer that lies NE of Gran Canaria (Spain) was studied to address the relationship of the occurrence of pharmaceutical compounds and a golf course that has been irrigated with regenerated water since 1973. Of the 14 analyzed groundwater samples, five wells were chosen to perform annual monitoring. Irrigation water and soil leachate were also evaluated. The target analytes were atenolol, metamizole, fluoxetine, ibuprofen, nicotine, permethrin, caffeine, and their metabolite paraxanthine. The environmental risk is limited as the concentrations of the pharmaceuticals measured in the sampled wells were always below 60 ng·L−1 (lower than the detected caffeine and nicotine concentrations). Wide variations for the same wells were measured among sampling campaigns, and also among the different wells. The study points to the importance of sample conservation during transport and the need to perform analyses immediately, or to follow an in-situ extraction procedure to carry concentrated samples under better conditions.
Highlights
Pharmaceutical compounds are widely used for many purposes in our modern society, and often with no medical prescription
The optimized SPE–HPLC–electrospray ionization (ESI)–MS/MS procedure allowed us to determine the target pharmaceutical compounds from different water samples in a reliable, and
Reclaimed water is an important in the drynatural regions,removal such as of thesome pollutants, the presence of pharmaceutical residue must be controlled to evaluate nary Islands, and even soil and the unsaturated zone can favor the natural removalthe of sustainability of reuse
Summary
Pharmaceutical compounds are widely used for many purposes in our modern society, and often with no medical prescription. The presence of preferential paths in the unsaturated zone can favor rapid recharge through fractures, and contaminants can reach aquifers in relatively short times [5] Other processes, such as dilution, adsorption, and degradation, can alter pollutants inside aquifers, which depends on several factors related to geological material and climate conditions. Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) is an example of such use, which has been a practice for more than 40 years to irrigate a golf course [9], and for agriculture This water can even be used to recharge aquifers [10] or for ecological services, as regulated by Spanish legislation [11]. Irrigation water from a golf course irrigated with reclaimed water and soil leachate from a lysimeter were evaluated to compare the results
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