Trends of pharmaceutical residues in rivers, suspended particular matter and fish - New insights by new analytical methods for active substances, their metabolites and transformation products

Abstract

Während der vergangenen Dekade wurden immer mehr Arzneimittelwirkstoffe in der aquatischen Umwelt detektiert und das damit verbundene Risikopotenzial für die aquatischen Lebensgemeinschaften stellt ein drängendes Problem dar. Obwohl viele Arzneimittelwirkstoffe durch die konventionelle Abwasserreinigung zumindest teilweise durch Sorption und Biotransformation entfernt werden, führt eine quasi kontinuierliche Einleitung von Arzneimittelresten zu einer so genannten "Pseudo-Persistenz". Des Weiteren weisen manche Metabolite und Transformationsprodukte eine ähnliche oder sogar höhere Wirkung auf als die medizinischen Ausgangsstoffe. Daher wäre eine höhere Priorisierung von Arzneimittelwirkstoffen sowie deren Metabolite und Transformationsprodukte (AMT) als Umweltkontaminanten in der Europäischen Wasserrahmenrichtlinie (WRRL) und der deutschen Oberflächenwasserverordnung (OGewV) begrüßenswert. Die analytische Bestimmung erfolgt zurzeit hauptsächlich in der Wasserphase, wobei nur wenige standardisierte Methoden existieren. Die physikochemischen Eigenschaften mancher Wirkstoffe lassen eine Akkumulation an Sediment, Schwebstoffen und in Biota vermuten, so dass diese Matrices interessante Alternativen zur Wasserphase darstellen. Das Ziel des Projekts war die Entwicklung, Optimierung, Validierung und Bewertung von Quantifizierungsmethoden für AMT in verschiedenen Umweltmatrices (Wasser, Sediment, Schwebstoff und Biota). Mit Hilfe der entwickelten Methoden wurde das Vorkommen und die Verteilung ausgewählter AMT in Wasser, Sediment, Schwebstoff und Biota von unterschiedlichen Standorten untersucht. Des Weiteren wurden mit Zeitreihen der Umweltprobenbank das Potential der neuen Methoden für die Gewässerüberwachung demonstriert. Aus den gesammelten Erkenntnissen wurden Empfehlungen für ein optimiertes Monitoring von AMT mit verschiedenen physikochemischen Eigenschaften in Oberflächengewässern abgeleitet. Quelle: Forschungsbericht

Since the last decades the increasing detections of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment and their risk potential for the aquatic life have become an urgent issue. Even though many pharmaceuticals are at least to some extent removed by sorption and biotransformation during conventional wastewater treatment, a quasi continues emission via wastewater treatment plants result in a so called "pseudo-persistence". Furthermore, metabolites and transformation products (TPs) can show comparable or even higher activities. Therefore, a higher prioritization of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites as well as TPs as environmental pollutants in the European Water Framework Directive and German surface waters regulation (Oberflächengewässerverordnung) would be desirable. Determination of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment is focused on the liquid phase. However, only a few standardized methods exist. Indeed, physicochemical parameters of some analytes let accumulation in sediment, suspended particular matter and biota seem to be likely. Hence, these matrices could be interesting alternative matrices for monitoring of pharmaceutical residues in surface waters. The aim of this project was the development, optimization, validation and benchmarking of analytical methods for quantification of selected active pharmaceutical ingredients, their metabolites and TPs in different environmental matrices (water, sediment, suspended particular matter and biota). Using these methods occurrence and distribution of the selected analytes in water, sediment, suspended particular matter and biota samples from different locations were determined. Additionally, samples from the German environmental specimen bank were analyzed to investigate possible time trends in concentrations of pharmaceuticals and to demonstrate the potential of the new methods. Finally, recommendations regarding optimal strategies for determination of pharmaceutical residues with different physicochemical properties in water systems were derived from during this project obtained new insights. Quelle: Forschungsbericht

Environmental research is detecting ever more pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic environment as analytical methods become increasingly sensitive. The physicochemical properties of some active substances suggest an accumulation in sediment, suspended matter and biota. Hence, these matrices could be interesting alternative matrices for monitoring of pharmaceutical residues in surface waters. Against this background, modern analytical detection methods for different matrices from water to sediment and suspended matter to biota (fish) were developed and published in 2019 (FKZ 3715 67 413). In the current project sampling concepts were combined with retrospective analyses. In this report, the results of the developed methods from investigations of water, sediment, suspended matter and biota samples from different locations and the German environmental specimen bank are presented in terms of occurrence and distribution.During the project 3 articles have been published: Boulard et al. 2018 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2017.12.023), Boulard et al. 2020 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2019.115366), Boulard et al. 2020 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461612).