RT journal article
T1 High resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) determination of drugs in wastewater and wastewater based epidemiology in Cadiz Bay (Spain)
A1 Santana Viera, Sergio
A1 Lara Martín, Pablo Antonio
A1 González Mazo, Eduardo
A2 Química Física
K1 Emerging pollutants
K1 High-resolution mass spectrometry
K1 Pharmaceuticals
K1 Wastewater based epidemiology
AB Multi-residue methods for the determination of the myriad of compounds of emerging concern (CECs) entering in the environment are key elements for further assessment on their distribution and fate. Here, we have developed an analytical protocol for the simultaneous analysis of 195 prescription, over-the-counter, and illicit drugs by using a combination of solid phase extraction (SPE) and determination by liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). The method was applied to the analysis of influent sewage samples from 3 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) from Cadiz Bay (SW Spain), enabling the quantification of more than 100 pharmaceuticals, 19 of them at average concentrations higher than 1 μg L−1, including caffeine (92 μg L−1), paracetamol (72 μg L−1), and ibuprofen (56 μg L−1), as well as several illicit drugs (e.g., cocaine). Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) was applied for 27 of the detected compounds to establish their consumption in the sampling area, which has been never attempted before. Caffeine, naproxen, and salicylic acid stood out because of their high consumption (638, 51, and 20 g d−1·1000pop−1, respectively). Regarding illicit drugs, cocaine showed the highest frequency of detection and we estimated an average consumption of 3683 mg d−1·1000pop−1 in Cadiz Bay. The combination of new HRMS methods, capable of discriminating thousands of chemicals, and WBE will allow for a more comprehensive characterization of chemical substances and their consumption in urban environments in the near future.
PB Elsevier
SN 0301-4797
YR 2023
FD 2023-05-16
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/28937
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/28937
LA eng
NO The authors thank the staff from JF, CA and PR WWTPs for their assistance during sampling. This research was funded by Junta de Andalucía (ref. FEDER-UCA18-107036) through the FEDER Andalucía 2014-20 program.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 07-nov-2026