TRANSPORT OF IBUPROFEN THROUGH COASTAL PLAIN SOILS USING LABORATORY SOIL COLUMN EXPERIMENTS

The transport and fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems has become an area of concern in the environmental science community. Due to advances in analytical technology, PPCPs have been detected in surface and groundwater at ng to µg L^-1 concentrations. Chronic exposure to PPCPs at these concentrations may have adverse effects on humans and aquatic organisms. Previous research has shown that sorption of PPCPs in soils is dependent on soil properties such as organic matter content and mineralogy. However, few studies have examined the transport of PPCPs through sandy, coastal plain soils typical of the southeastern United States. Rapid subsurface PPCP transport may occur in these regions due to permeable soils and seasonally high water tables. This study aims to evaluate the fate and transport of Ibuprofen, a commonly used analgesic, in laboratory soil columns using soils with varying physicochemical properties collected from discrete locations within North Carolina’s Coastal Plain region. Results from this research may shed light on PPCP behavior in soils of similar coastal environments, globally.