Wide-scope screening of pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs and their metabolites in the Amazon River

Abstract

Only a limited number of households in the Amazon are served by sewage collection or treatment facilities, suggesting that there might be a significant emission of pharmaceuticals and other wastewater contaminants into freshwater ecosystems. In this work, we performed a wide-scope screening to assess the occurrence of pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs and their metabolites in freshwater ecosystems of the Brazilian Amazon. Our study included 40 samples taken along the Amazon River, in three of its major tributaries, and in small tributaries crossing four important urban areas (Manaus, Santarém, Macapá, Belém). More than 900 compounds were investigated making use of target and suspect screening approaches, based on liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry with ion mobility separation. Empirical collision-cross section (CCS) values were used to help and confirm identifications in target screening, while in the suspect screening approach CCS values were predicted using Artificial Neural Networks to increase the confidence of the tentative identification. In this way, 51 compounds and metabolites were identified. The highest prevalence was found in streams crossing the urban areas of Manaus, Macapá and Belém, with some samples containing up to 30 -40 compounds, while samples taken in Santarém showed a lower number (8 -11), and the samples taken in the main course of the Amazon River and its tributaries contained between 1 and 7 compounds. Most compounds identified in areas with significant urban impact belonged to the analgesics and antihypertensive categories, followed by stimulants and antibiotics. Compounds such as caffeine, cocaine and its metabolite benzoylecgonine, and cotinine (the metabolite of nicotine), were also detected in areas with relatively low anthropogenic impact and showed the highest total prevalence. This study supports the need to improve the sanitation system of urban areas in the Brazilian Amazon and the development of follow-up studies aimed at quantifying exposure levels and risks for Amazonian freshwater biodiversity.

Prediction of Collision Cross-Section Values for Extractables and Leachables from Plastic Products

“…The river water was stored in an amber glass bottle and treated on the day of collection, using the previously developed procedures. 30 The final samples were analyzed using a Vion IMS-QTof mass spectrometer. The detailed procedures of sample treatment and operating conditions of the Vion are given in the Supporting Information .…”

“…2L of surface water were sampled from the Ebro River near the urban areas of Zaragoza, Spain. The river water was stored in an amber glass bottle and treated on the day of collection, using the previously developed procedures . The final samples were analyzed using a Vion IMS-QTof mass spectrometer.…”

“…The complete structural elucidation of extractables and leachables from plastics is a challenging process due to the complexity of the matrix. In recent years, ion mobility separation (IMS) coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has emerged as a promising tool for analyzing complex samples. − IMS can separate molecules based on their shape, size, and charge . Collision cross-section (CCS), derived from IMS, is a physicochemical property of ions and is related to the chemical structure and three-dimensional conformation of the molecules .…”

Capítulo 20: Impulsores e impactos de los cambios en los ecosistemas acuáticos

“…Pharmaceutical pollution is a growing threat to aquatic environments throughout Latin America, including Amazonian countries (Valdez-Carrillo et al 2020). Samples taken at 40 sites along the Amazon River and major tributaries in Brazil found 30-40 compounds near major cities and 1-7 compounds in the Amazon River far from cities (Fabregat-Safont et al 2021). A different survey at 40 sampling sites along the Amazon River, three tributaries (Negro, Tapajós and Tocantins Rivers), and four cities found that chemical pollution can cause long-term effects in 50-80% of aquatic species near urban areas (Rico et al 2021).…”

Water Analysis: Emerging Contaminants and Current Issues

“…Fabregat-Safont et al performed a wide-scope screening using LC coupled to high resolution-MS with ion mobility separation. More than 900 compounds were studied in freshwater ecosystems of the Brazilian Amazon using target and suspect screening approaches.…”