Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and hormones in drinking water treated from surface waters

Abstract

International audienceThe levels of a wide variety of pharmaceuticals and hormones, in source and potable-water supplies of French drinking water treatment plants, were assessed. In surface waters, 27 of the 51 target compounds were determined at least once. Paracetamol, salicylic acid and carbamazepine were quantified in more than 80% of samples. The highest concentration of 71 ng/L was observed for paracetamol. Twelve other substances were widely found in the surface waters studied, contaminating between 33 and 80% of the samples. These compounds include analgesics, psychotropic drugs, antibiotics and beta-blockers consistent with the French consumption, as well as natural hormones (oestrone, progesterone and androgens) and synthetic progestatives. In drinking water supplies, 25 compounds were also present, salicylic acid being the most frequently detected. Carbamazepine and the β-blocker atenolol found at lower levels (maximum 2 ng/L), are also present in more than 30% of the contaminated drinking waters. The pharmaceuticals exhibit different reactivity towards the treatments, while progestagens and androgens seem resistant to most of them. The effectiveness of the treatments is discussed, as well as the consequences of the presence of all these compounds on human health. This is the first time that such a long list of compounds (51) is proposed to assessment, and consequently this study provides the first data on pharmaceuticals and steroids occurrences in French drinking waters and represents a basis for the assessment of risks for humans. Moreover, at the international level, this is the first time that so many substances are quantified in drinking water, due to the very low detection limits, especially in the case of the hormones

Occurrences of pharmaceuticals in drinking water sources of major river watersheds, China

“…Multiple-classes of pharmaceuticals have been detected in DWSs in countries such as the United States (U.S.) (Benotti et al, 2009;Focazio et al, 2008), Canada (Kleywegt et al, 2011) and several European countries (de Jongh et al, 2012;Kuch Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ecoenv and Ballschmiter, 2001; Mompelat et al, 2011;Valcárcel et al, 2013;Vulliet et al, 2011). In a national survey performed by the U.S. Geological Survey, several classes of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs and other wastewater-related drugs, were detectable (Focazio et al, 2008), and the maximum concentrations of the detected pharmaceuticals ranged from 0.019 μg/L to 0.30 μg/L.…”

“…In a national survey performed by the U.S. Geological Survey, several classes of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs and other wastewater-related drugs, were detectable (Focazio et al, 2008), and the maximum concentrations of the detected pharmaceuticals ranged from 0.019 μg/L to 0.30 μg/L. Not all pharmaceuticals are completely removed during drinking-water treatment processes (Benotti et al, 2009;Huerta-Fontela et al, 2011;Stackelberg et al, 2007;Vulliet et al, 2011). As a result, several pharmaceuticals, such as carbamazepine, lincomycin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, erythromycin, roxithromycin and metoprolol, are also detectable in distribution waters (Delgado et al, 2012;Stackelberg et al, 2004;Vulliet et al, 2011).…”

“…Not all pharmaceuticals are completely removed during drinking-water treatment processes (Benotti et al, 2009;Huerta-Fontela et al, 2011;Stackelberg et al, 2007;Vulliet et al, 2011). As a result, several pharmaceuticals, such as carbamazepine, lincomycin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, erythromycin, roxithromycin and metoprolol, are also detectable in distribution waters (Delgado et al, 2012;Stackelberg et al, 2004;Vulliet et al, 2011). In Germany, ethinylestradiol, the active ingredient in oral contraceptive pills, was detected in four out of 10 distribution water samples at the 0.15-0.50 ng/L level (Kuch and Ballschmiter, 2001).…”

Analysis of 21 progestagens in various matrices by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) with diverse sample pretreatment

“…Among all the sample matrices, flush water contained the most progestagens with the highest concentrations (total concentrations more than 10,000 ng/L), followed by feces (total concentrations nearly 6,000 ng/g). Previous studies reported that progesterone was detected in piled manure in USA at the concentration of 196 ng/g [20] and progesterone and norgestrel in flush [9], [11], [12], [20], [30], [31], [33], [34], [35], [36] AD anordrin, CMD chlormadinone, CMDA chlormadinone acetate, CPRA cyproterone acetate, DGT dydrogesterone, 5α-DHP samples from a swine farm in Guangxi (China) with their concentrations above 10,000 ng/L [32]. In the WWTP, influent contained the most progestagens (total concentrations up to 81 ng/L), followed by dewatered sludge (total concentrations up to 23 ng/g).…”

Fungal Bioremediation of Emerging Micropollutants in Municipal Wastewaters

“…A clear example is given by a combined O 3 /UV treatment of ketoprofen: the transformation products were much more toxic than 6 ketoprofen itself and this parameter could be reduced only by increasing the operational time, with consequent repercussion of the economic sustainability of the process (Illés et al 2014). Due to the limited effectiveness of WTPs towards a complex mixture of EDCs, micropollutants can re-enter the water cycle accumulating even into drinking waters (Benotti et al 2009, Lundstrom et al 2010, Mompelat et al 2009, Touraud et al 2011, Vulliet et al 2011). Sun and collaborators (2013) collected data worldwide, associating the major long-term ecological risk of municipal effluents and reclaimed waters to the presence of steroid estrogens and phenolic compounds.…”