Detection of veterinary drug residues in surface waters collected nearby farming areas in Galicia, North of Spain

Abstract

The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment has become a matter of concern in the last decade due to potential risks posed to non-target organisms and the potential for unintended human exposure via food chain. This concern has been driven by a high detection frequency for drugs in environmental samples; these substances are produced in large quantities and are used in both veterinary and human medicine, leading to deposition and potential effects in the environment. However, few studies have focused on the presence of pharmaceuticals in rural areas associated with farming activities in comparison to urban areas. The aim of this study is to investigate the occurrence of pharmaceutically active compounds in surface waters collected from urban and rural areas in northwestern Spain. A monitoring study was conducted with 312 river water samples analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Positive detection of pharmaceuticals was made for 51 % of the samples. Decoquinate, sulfamethazine, sulfamethoxypyridazine and trimethoprim were the drugs most frequently detected, being present in more than 10 % of the samples. The sampling sites located downstream of the discharge points for wastewater treatment plants yielded the highest number of positive samples, 13 % of the positive samples were detected in these sites and 38 % of the samples collected near the collection point of a drinking water treatment plant were positive.

Selection of organic process and source indicator substances for the anthropogenically influenced water cycle

“…These compounds are known to be extensively used in veterinary medication in China. Iglesias et al (2014) investigated various veterinary drugs in surface waters collected near farming areas in the North of Spain. Sulfamethazine and sulfamethoxypyridazine were the drugs most frequently detected.…”

Radiation induced degradation of antiepileptic drug primidone in aqueous solution

“…In fact, the overall reaction of PMD was set toward a strong oxidative reaction: N 2 O can react with e aq À and Å H to form Å OH in N 2 O saturated solutions (Eqs. (8) and (9)); O 2 can react with e aq À and Å H forming O 2 ÅÀ and peroxyl radicals (Eqs. (10) and (11)) [35], then decrease the reaction between e aq À and Å OH, thus increasing the concentration of Å OH in O 2 saturated solutions.…”

“…Thus, some unchanged forms and the metabolites of the pharmaceuticals enter the ecosystem after being excreted. Certain chemically and biochemically-persistent pharmaceuticals have been frequently detected in surface water [6][7][8][9], drinking water [10,11], wastewater [12,13] and sediments [14].…”

Aqueous chlorination of sulfamethazine and sulfamethoxypyridazine: Kinetics and transformation products identification

“…Therefore, they possess high migration ability in environmental water matrices . Sulfonamides were detected in surface water and groundwater at concentration levels ranged from 10 −9 to 10 −6 g·L −1 .…”