Monitoring pharmaceuticals and personal care products in reservoir water used for drinking water supply

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 24; no. 8; pp. 7335 - 7347
• Main Authors: Aristizabal-Ciro, Carolina, Botero-Coy, Ana Maria, Lopez, Francisco J, Penuela, Gustavo A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.03.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Benzophenone; Chronic exposure; Consumer products; Contaminants; Cosmetics - analysis; Drinking water; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental science; Ibuprofen; Liquid chromatography; Low concentrations; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Monitoring; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Pharmaceutical Preparations - analysis; Pharmaceuticals; Research Article; Reservoirs; Treated water; Waste Water Technology; Water - analysis; Water - chemistry; Water column; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollution Control; Water sampling; Water shortages; Water Supply; Water treatment; Water treatment plants; Colombia; Personal care products; Drinking water; Reservoir water; Emerging contaminants; Pharmaceuticals; UHPLC/MS/MS
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-8253-1

In this work, the presence of selected emerging contaminants has been investigated in two reservoirs, La Fe (LF) and Rio Grande (RG), which supply water to two drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) of Medellin, one of the most populated cities of Colombia. An analytical method based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) of the sample followed by measurement by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) was developed and validated for this purpose. Five monitoring campaigns were performed in each reservoir, collecting samples from 7 sites (LF) and 10 sites (RG) at 3 different depths of the water column. In addition, water samples entering in the DWTPs and treated water samples from these plans were also analysed for the selected compounds. Data from this work showed that parabens, UV filters and the pharmaceutical ibuprofen were commonly present in most of the reservoir samples. Thus, methyl paraben was detected in around 90% of the samples collected, while ibuprofen was found in around 60% of the samples. Water samples feeding the DWTPs also contained these two compounds, as well as benzophenone at low concentrations, which was in general agreement with the results from the reservoir samples. After treatment in the DWTPs, these three compounds were still present in the samples although at low concentrations (<40 ng/L), which evidenced that they were not completely removed after the conventional treatment applied. The potential effects of the presence of these compounds at the ppt levels in drinking water are still unknown. Further research is needed to evaluate the effect of chronic exposure to these compounds via consumption of drinking water.