Impact of wastewater treatment plant discharge of lidocaine, tramadol, venlafaxine and their metabolites on the quality of surface waters and groundwater

Abstract

The presence of the anesthetic lidocaine (LDC), the analgesic tramadol (TRA), the antidepressant venlafaxine (VEN) and the metabolites O-desmethyltramadol (ODT) and O-desmethylvenlafaxine (ODV) was investigated in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents, in surface waters and in groundwater. The analytes were detected in all effluent samples and in only 64% of the surface water samples. The mean concentrations of the analytes in effluent samples from WWTPs with wastewater from only households and hospitals were 107 (LDC), 757 (TRA), 122 (ODT), 160 (VEN) and 637 ng L(-1) (ODV), while the mean concentrations in effluents from WWTPs treating additionally wastewater from pharmaceutical industries as indirect dischargers were for some pharmaceuticals clearly higher. WWTP effluents were identified as important sources of the analyzed pharmaceuticals and their metabolites in surface waters. The concentrations of the compounds found in surface waters ranged from <LOQ to 176 (LDC), 381 (TRA), 261 (ODT), 122 (VEN) and 743 ng L(-1) (ODV) and were dependent on the concentrations of the compounds in the WWTP effluents, the proportion of wastewater in the recipient water, the mean flow rate of the surface water, and the proximity of the sampling point to the WWTP discharge point. The dependence of the concentrations of the target compounds in the surface water on the distance between the sampling points and the points of WWTP discharge into the recipient rivers and streams indicates possible degradation of the compounds in the surface waters. Infiltration of the target analytes into groundwater was not observed.

Upgrading of Wastewater Treatment Plants Through the Use of Unconventional Treatment Technologies: Removal of Lidocaine, Tramadol, Venlafaxine and Their Metabolites

“…In a previous study the continuous WWTP discharge of the non-extensively studied pharmaceuticals lidocaine (LDC, anesthetic), tramadol (TRA, analgesic) and venlafaxine (VEN, antidepressant), and their major active metabolites desmethyltramadol (ODT) and desmethylvenlafaxine (ODV) has been reported [7,26], denoting the need improvement of available treatment units or application of alternative treatment technologies, which could mitigate the exposure of the aquatic organisms to such pharmaceutical compounds. Recent studies have demonstrated the presence of these compounds and their metabolites in some rivers and lakes in Europe and North America [6,8,27,28].…”

Electro-peroxone treatment of the antidepressant venlafaxine: Operational parameters and mechanism

“…It is noted that most intermediates listed in Table 2 (e.g., No. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] were detected only at the early stage of the E-peroxone treatment of venlafaxine (e.g., within the first 15 min). On the other hand, phenolic and especially carboxylic intermediates existed in the solution for longer reaction time.…”

“…Moreover, because conventional sewage treatment process (e.g., activated sludge) usually cannot effectively degrade venlafaxine and its metabolites [7,8], these compounds can be released with the effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) into the water environment [1,[4][5][6][7]9]. Consequently, venlafaxine and its metabolites have been increasingly detected in various surface water, ground water, and even drinking water [10][11][12].…”

Chemical and biochemical characterization and in vivo safety evaluation of pharmaceuticals in drinking water

“…Pharmaceutical compounds belong to this group of contaminants because they reach the aquatic environment through discharge of wastewater-treatment plants, onsite wastewater disposal systems or septic system discharges, and agricultural runoff or leaching [1][2][3][4][5]. The development of analytical methods that allow the identification and quantification of increasingly lower concentrations of chemical compounds together with data regarding their biological effects has raised our awareness of emerging contaminants.…”