Evaluation of storage and evaporation in the removal efficiency of d-norgestrel and progesterone in human urine

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment Vol. 187; no. 10; p. 619
• Main Authors: Zanchetta, Priscilla Garozi, Heringer, Otávio, Scherer, Rodrigo, Pacheco, Henrique Poltronieri, Gonçalves, Ricardo, Pena, Angelina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.10.2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acidification; Adult; Agricultural land; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Chromatography, Liquid; Contaminants; Crop residues; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Efficiency; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental monitoring; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Evaporation; Fertilizers; Healthy Volunteers; Hormones; Humans; Laboratories; Levonorgestrel - isolation & purification; Levonorgestrel - urine; Limit of Detection; Male; Methods; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Pharmaceuticals; Pharmacy; Progesterone - isolation & purification; Progesterone - urine; Public health; Reproducibility of Results; Specimen Handling; Sulfuric acid; Tandem Mass Spectrometry - methods; Temperature; Urine; Urine - chemistry; Volatilization; Young Adult; LC-MS/MS; Storage; Hormones; Evaporation; Human urine
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-015-4838-2

Pharmaceuticals are emerging contaminants and it must be noted that approximately 70 % of them are excreted via urine. Therefore, urine usage implies the risk of transfer of pharmaceutical residues to agricultural fields and environment contamination. Thus, this study aimed on the development and validation of a LC-MS/MS method for d -norgestrel (D-NOR) and progesterone (PRO) determination in human urine, as well as the evaluation of the removal efficiency of two methods (storage and evaporation), and the effects of acidification with sulfuric acid. The storage process was evaluated for 6 weeks, while the evaporation was assessed at three different temperatures (50, 75, and 100 °C). All experiments were done with normal urine (pH = 6.0) and acidified urine (pH = 2.0, with sulfuric acid). The results of validation showed good method efficiency. In the second week of storage, higher hormone degradation was observed. In the evaporation method, both D-NOR and PRO were almost completely degraded when the volume was reduced to the lowermost level. Results also indicate that acidification did not affect degradation. Overall, the results showed that combination of two methods can be employed for more efficient hormone removal in urine.