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Arti cial sweeteners are receiving increasing attention as newly recognized emerging contaminants that mainly reach the aquatic environment through the discharge of municipal wastewater containing large amount of these compounds. In this study, the impact of raw untreated wastewater discharges on the levels and the water/sediment distribution of arti cial sweeteners in the Danube River and its largest tributaries in Serbia was evaluated, and a comprehensive assessment of environmental risks for freshwater and benthic organisms was performed. Acesulfame and sucralose were detected in all river water samples, while saccharin and cyclamate were less frequently found, indicating long-term continuous sewage-derived pollution. Aspartame and neotame were the only arti cial sweeteners recorded in the sediment samples due to their preference to sorb to particulate matter in the water/sediment system. In terms of ecotoxicological risk, a low risk for aquatic organisms was determined at the detected levels of saccharin in river water, while a high to medium risk was found for benthic biota at the concentrations of neotame and aspartame detected in sediments. The largest contribution to the pollution of the Danube River Basin with arti cial sweeteners, and consequently the highest environmental risk, was determined in the two largest cities, the capital Belgrade and Novi Sad, which raises the issue of transboundary pollution.

The widespread use of artificial sweeteners as additives in food, beverages, medicines and oral care products has led to the accumulation of these substances in aquatic ecosystems around the world. Since most of them are metabolically inert and are incompletely eliminated in wastewater treatment plants, municipal wastewater is the main source of these compounds in the environment. Due to the limited knowledge of their environmental fate and ecotoxicity, artificial sweeteeners are recognized as high-priority emerging contaminants. Some of them, such as acesulfame and sucralose, are very persistent in the aquatic environment, so they can be used as chemical markers of municipal wastewater pollution. In this paper, the presence of the most commonly used sweeteners in the Republic of Serbia (acesulfame, saccharin, cyclamate, sucralose and aspartame) was investigated in groundwater from two Belgrade Ranney wells, as well as in the Sava River, in order to assess the impact of untreated municipal wastewater on water sources, using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry.ers as additives in food, beverages, medicines and oral care products has led to the accumulation of these substances in aquatic ecosystems around the world. Since most of them are metabolically inert and are incompletely eliminated in wastewater treatment plants, municipal wastewater is the main source of these compounds in the environment. Due to the limited knowledge of their environmental fate and ecotoxicity, artificial sweeteeners are recognized as high-priority emerging contaminants. Some of them, such as acesulfame and sucralose, are very persistent in the aquatic environment, so they can be used as chemical markers of municipal wastewater pollution. In this paper, the presence of the most commonly used sweeteners in the Republic of Serbia (acesulfame, saccharin, cyclamate, sucralose and aspartame) was investigated in groundwater from two Belgrade Ranney wells, as well as in the Sava River, in order to assess the impact of untreated municipal wastewater on water sources, using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry.

Artificial sweeteners are receiving increasing attention as newly recognized emerging contaminants that mainly reach the aquatic environment through the discharge of municipal wastewater containing large amount of these compounds. In this study, the impact of raw untreated wastewater discharges on the levels and the water/sediment distribution of artificial sweeteners in the Danube River and its largest tributaries in Serbia was evaluated, and a comprehensive assessment of environmental risks for freshwater and benthic organisms was performed. Acesulfame and sucralose were detected in all river water samples, while saccharin and cyclamate were less frequently found, indicating long-term continuous sewage-derived pollution. Aspartame and neotame were the only artificial sweeteners recorded in the sediment samples due to their preference to sorb to particulate matter in the water/sediment system. In terms of ecotoxicological risk, a low risk for aquatic organisms was determined at the detected levels of saccharin in river water, while a high to medium risk was found for benthic biota at the concentrations of neotame and aspartame detected in sediments. The largest contribution to the pollution of the Danube River Basin with artificial sweeteners, and consequently the highest environmental risk, was determined in the two largest cities, the capital Belgrade and Novi Sad, which raises the issue of transboundary pollution.

This is the first study of a broad range of chemical classes of emerging contaminants conducted by analyzing influent and effluent samples from the wastewater treatment plant of the city Topola, in Serbia. The list of compounds is extensive and this paper provides a better understanding of the environmental burden from different classes of emerging contaminants. The samples were prepared using an optimized solid-phase extraction method and analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Removal patterns of selected compounds are discussed based on their physico-chemical properties and detected concentrations. Significant removal efficiencies, exceeding 70%, were found for the majority of investigated pharmaceuticals, pesticides, steroids, and sweeteners. Ecotoxicological risk assessment was performed by using two complementary methods: (1) an individual substance approach, based on the calculation of risk quotients (RQs) for each substance as the ratio of Predicted Environmental Concentration (PEC) and Predicted No Effect Concentration (PNEC), and (2) mixture risk assessment ("the cocktail effect") based on the summation of individual RQs. The classical approach (ERA method with individual substances) identified amlodipine as the riskiest substance in WWTP effluent. The mixture ERA approach revealed new risks, which were not recognized by the classical ERA method, indicating that individually "safe" emerging compounds can contribute to a significant risk of the whole effluents.