title: Screening of benzodiazepines in thirty European rivers.
abstract: Pharmaceuticals as environmental contaminants have received a lot of interest over the past decade but, for several pharmaceuticals, relatively little is known about their occurrence in European surface waters. Benzodiazepines, a class of pharmaceuticals with anxiolytic properties, have received interest due to their behavioral modifying effect on exposed biota. In this study, our results show the presence of one or more benzodiazepine(s) in 86% of the analyzed surface water samples (n = 138) from 30 rivers, representing seven larger European catchments. Of the 13 benzodiazepines included in the study, we detected 9, which together showed median and mean concentrations (of the results above limit of quantification) of 5.4 and 9.6 ng L-1, respectively. Four benzodiazepines (oxazepam, temazepam, clobazam, and bromazepam) were the most commonly detected. In particular, oxazepam had the highest frequency of detection (85%) and a maximum concentration of 61 ng L-1. Temazepam and clobazam were found in 26% (maximum concentration of 39 ng L-1) and 14% (maximum concentration of 11 ng L-1) of the samples analyzed, respectively. Finally, bromazepam was found only in Germany and in 16 out of total 138 samples (12%), with a maximum concentration of 320 ng L-1. This study clearly shows that benzodiazepines are common micro-contaminants of the largest European river systems at ng L-1levels. Although these concentrations are more than a magnitude lower than those reported to have effective effects on exposed biota, environmental effects cannot be excluded considering the possibility of additive and sub-lethal effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Sweden. Electronic address: jerker.fick@chem.umu.se.
authors.forename: Jerker
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fick
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brodin
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heynen
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jonatan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klaminder
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Micael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jonsson
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Vodnany, Czechia.
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Grabicova
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Vodnany, Czechia.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Randak
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Vodnany, Czechia.
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grabic
authors.affiliation: Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Prague, Czechia.
authors.forename: Vit
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kodes
authors.affiliation: Environmental Institute, Kos, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Jaroslav
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Slobodnik
authors.affiliation: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sweetman
authors.affiliation: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Earnshaw
authors.affiliation: National Research Council, Water Research Institute, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barra Caracciolo
authors.affiliation: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Directorate D - Sustainable Resources, Water and Marine Resources, Ispra, Italy.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lettieri
authors.affiliation: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Directorate D - Sustainable Resources, Water and Marine Resources, Ispra, Italy.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Loos
mesh_terms: D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000032:analysis*; D000078306:Clobazam; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005060:Europe; D010076:Oxazepam / Q000032:analysis; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013693:Temazepam / Q000032:analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D000078306:Clobazam; D010076:Oxazepam; D013693:Temazepam
keywords: Anxiolytics; Bromazepam; Clobazam; Oxazepam; Temazepam