Abstract
All pharmaceuticals are separated chromatographically using the liquid chromatography-time of flight/mass spectrometry (LC-ToF/MS) on a 5 µm, 2.1 mm × 250 mm, C18 column at 0.3 mL/min. The recovery is investigated at two spiking levels, 10 and 1 ng/mL; the mean recovery is higher than 77, 84, and 93% in sewage treatment plants (STP) influent, STP effluent, and surface water, respectively. The limit of quantification (LOQ) averages 29, 16, 7, and 2 ng/L in STP influent, STP effluent, surface water, and drinking water, respectively. The matrix effect is also evaluated in STP influent and effluent. It is observed that sulfamethoxazole, prednisolone, ketoprofen, and glibenclamide are highly impacted compared to other compounds, −99, −110, 77, and 91%, respectively. The results show that six out of nine pharmaceuticals, namely atenolol, acetaminophen, theophylline, caffeine, metoprolol, and sulfamethoxazole are detected in STP influent, STP effluent, and surface water. However, the means of concentration are 561, 3305, 1805, 3900, 78, and 308 ng/L for atenolol, acetaminophen, theophylline, caffeine, metoprolol, and sulfamethoxazole, respectively, in STP influent. Caffeine and acetaminophen are detected with the highest concentration, reaching up to 8700 and 4919 ng/L, respectively, in STP influent.
Highlights
IntroductionThe occurrence of some pharmaceuticals in surface water may be due to the bodily excretion of metabolized and un-metabolized pharmaceutical compounds into septic wastewater, which is discharged to surface water
It is well known that different therapeutic classes of pharmaceuticals are used for the treatment of some diseases in the human body since they are biologically active compounds used for this purpose.the occurrence of some pharmaceuticals in surface water may be due to the bodily excretion of metabolized and un-metabolized pharmaceutical compounds into septic wastewater, which is discharged to surface water
Metoprolol, sulfamethoxazole, prednisolone, ketoprofen, and glibenclamide selected as the top prescribed pharmaceuticals in Malaysia [12]
Summary
The occurrence of some pharmaceuticals in surface water may be due to the bodily excretion of metabolized and un-metabolized pharmaceutical compounds into septic wastewater, which is discharged to surface water. These concentrations are very low (ng/L), they are a big concern for their potential impact on the aquatic environment [1]. The reason why LC was used in the analysis of these pharmaceuticals is related to the low volatility and high hydrophilicity of most of the pharmaceuticals. A gas chromatography instrument has been used for the analysis of pharmaceuticals [2,3]; the derivatization of pharmaceuticals is needed to attain volatility and stability prior to the injection into the gas chromatography instrument [4]
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