Determination of selected pharmaceuticals and caffeine in sewage and seawater from Tromsø/Norway with emphasis on ibuprofen and its metabolites.
Selected pharmaceuticals, among them analgesics, ss-blockers and anti-depressants as well as caffeine, the anti-bacterial triclosan and the insect repellent N,N-diethyl-3-toluamide (DEET) were determined in different sewage samples (sewage treatment plants, hospital effluents) from Tromsø/Norway and in seawater from Tromsø-Sound, into which the sewage is discharged. While caffeine, triclosan, ibuprofen and its major metabolites hydroxy- and carboxy-ibuprofen were present in all sewage samples, additional pharmaceuticals were observed in sewage containing hospital effluents. Concentrations were in the range of 20-293 microg/l (caffeine), 0.2-2.4 microg/l (triclosan) and 0.1-20 microg/l (sum ibuprofen + metabolites). In seawater, only caffeine (7-87 ng/l), DEET (0.4-13 ng/l) and ibuprofen + metabolites (sum concentration < LOQ-7.7 ng/l) were detected. Ibuprofen and its metabolites hydroxy- and carboxy-ibuprofen were quantified individually by use of the respective reference compounds. Relative amounts of the three compounds were determined in different types of water showing characteristic patterns, with hydroxy-ibuprofen being the major component in sewage whereas carboxy-ibuprofen was dominant in seawater samples. The patterns which were compared to those observed in similar samples from Germany indicated different transformation behaviour under limnic and marine conditions.
Weigel
Stefan
S
Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
Berger
Urs
U
Jensen
Einar
E
Kallenborn
Roland
R
Thoresen
Hilde
H
Hühnerfuss
Heinrich
H
D002110:Caffeine / Q000032:analysis*; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D003671:DEET / Q000032:analysis; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D007052:Ibuprofen / Q000032:analysis; D009664:Norway; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000032:analysis*; D012623:Seawater / Q000032:analysis*; D012722:Sewage / Q000032:analysis*; D014260:Triclosan / Q000032:analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003671:DEET; D002110:Caffeine; D014260:Triclosan; D007052:Ibuprofen