OCCURRENCE OF PHARMACEUTICAL ACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN SURFACE WATERS OF SE PENNSYLVANIA

The occurrence of pharmaceutical active compounds (PACs) in ecosystems has caused much attention in recent years due to their adverse effects towards natural organisms and potential effects on human beings. PACs can enter the environment from several sources such as wastewater treatment plants, animal wastes from farms or applied lands, and the aquaculture. Persistence of PACs in surface water could be influenced by several factors such as seasons (temperature, storms, light irradiation), usage by human and animals, sorption and degradation. Seasonal variation is important in order to study the fate, transport and risk assessment of pharmaceuticals in environment.

In our research, the seasonal variation of persistence and levels of PACs in surface water was examined. Twenty one streams in south east Pennsylvania were sampled in three seasons: fall, spring and summer. The PACs of interest in this study were mainly hormones and antibiotics, and they were: 17alpha-estradiol, 17beta-estradiol, 17alpha-dihydroequilin, ethinyl estradiol, estriol, estrone, equilin, progesterone, medrogesterone, norgestrel, levonorgestrel, gestodene, sulfamethoxazole, sulfamethazine, trimethoprim, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, lincomycin, tetracycline, oxytetracycline, chlorotetracycline, erythromycin, azithromycin, roxithromycin and tylosin tartrate.

The hormones were analyzed using solid phase extraction (SPE) GC/MS method. The detection limit was 0.03 to 3.21 ng/L with 3 L sample volume. The antibiotics were analyzed using SPE-LC/MS method. The detection limit was 0.2 to 872 ng/L.

This paper will present the results of occurrence levels and detection frequencies of these PACs in 21 streams located in agricultural, suburban and mixed used areas.