title: Pharmaceutical Residues Affecting the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Kristianstads Vattenrike Wetlands: Sources and Sinks.
abstract: This study is the first to investigate the pharmaceutical burden from point sources affecting the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Kristianstads Vattenrike, Sweden. The investigated Biosphere Reserve is a >1000 km(2) wetland system with inflows from lakes, rivers, leachate from landfill, and wastewater-treatment plants (WWTPs). We analysed influent and treated wastewater, leachate water, lake, river, and wetland water alongside sediment for six model pharmaceuticals. The two WWTPs investigated released pharmaceutical residues at levels close to those previously observed in Swedish monitoring exercises. Compound-dependent WWTP removal efficiencies ranging from 12 to 100 % for bendroflumethiazide, oxazepam, atenolol, carbamazepine, and diclofenac were observed. Surface-water concentrations in the most affected lake were ≥100 ng/L for the various pharmaceuticals with atenolol showing the highest levels (>300 ng/L). A small risk assessment showed that adverse single-substance toxicity on aquatic organisms within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve is unlikely. However, the effects of combinations of a large number of known and unknown pharmaceuticals, metals, and nutrients are still unknown.
authors.affiliation: Division of Natural Sciences, School of Education and Environment, Kristianstad University, 291 88, Kristianstad, Sweden. erland.bjorklund@hkr.se.
authors.forename: Erland
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Björklund
authors.affiliation: Division of Natural Sciences, School of Education and Environment, Kristianstad University, 291 88, Kristianstad, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ola
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Svahn
authors.affiliation: Analytical Biosciences, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Søren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bak
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
authors.forename: Samuel Oppong
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Bekoe
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.|Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical