By means of a database including information from 117 international scientific papers, we present quantitative conclusions on the concentrations, frequencies of detection and removals of pharmaceutical products in wastewater treatment plants. Abstract:We created a database in order to quantitatively assess the occurrence and removal efficiency of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). From 117 scientific publications, we compiled 6641 data covering 184 PPCPs. Data included the concentrations of PPCPs in WWTP influents and effluents, their removal efficiency and their loads to the aquatic environment. The first outputs of our database allowed to identify the most investigated PPCPs in WWTPs and the most persistent ones, and to obtain reliable and quantitative values on their concentrations, frequency of detection and removal efficiency in WWTPs. We were also able to compare various processes and pointed out activated sludge with nitrogen treatment and membrane bioreactor as the most efficient ones.

This study reports on the occurrence and behaviour of six pesticides and one metabolite in a small stream draining a vineyard catchment. Base flow and flood events were monitored in order to assess the variability of pesticide concentrations according to the season and to evaluate the role of sampling frequency on the evaluation of fluxes estimates. Results showed that dissolved pesticide concentrations displayed a strong temporal and spatial variability. A large mobilisation of pesticides was observed during floods, with total dissolved pesticide fluxes per event ranging from 5.7x10(-3) g/Ha to 0.34 g/Ha. These results highlight the major role of floods in the transport of pesticides in this small stream which contributed to more than 89% of the total load of diuron during August 2007. The evaluation of pesticide loads using different sampling strategies and method calculation, showed that grab sampling largely underestimated pesticide concentrations and fluxes transiting through the stream.

The aim of this study was to characterise biomarker responses in three-spined sticklebacks exposed to copper. For this purpose, adult sticklebacks were exposed for 3 weeks to copper sulphate at 0, 25, 100 and 200μgL(-1) as Cu. At days 4, 8, 12 and 21, several parameters were measured including liver, gonad and spleen somatic indexes, hepatic biomarkers (catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione (GSH), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD)) and hepatic copper and zinc concentrations. Copper induced a rapid and transient increase of antioxidant enzymes and a depletion of glutathione content during the first 8 days of exposure. Significant copper and zinc accumulation in fish liver were observed for the two higher exposure concentrations after 8 and 12 days, respectively. This study showed that copper induced an oxidative stress in fish liver before significant metal accumulation in the liver could be detected, suggesting the involvement of differential mechanisms in copper uptake and metabolism. Three-spined stickleback appears to be a sensitive model to study oxidative stress induced by metals.

POCIS (Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler) is a relatively recent integrative sampler developed to trap hydrophilic organic micropollutants in aquatic environments. Nevertheless, at present, there is no review dealing specifically with this tool. The aim of this paper was to compile information from numerous references based on POCIS in order to discuss on the evaluation of time-weighted average concentrations (calibration methods, sampling rates, performance and reference compounds...) and to critically review the different in situ applications (screening or quantifying micropollutants, coupling with toxicity tests), application domains (molecules analyzed, sampling media) and analytical protocols for POCIS (processing, analysis, exposure duration)

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