Occurrence of selected pharmaceuticals in water and sediment of Umgeni River, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Loading...
Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Abstract
Selected pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, antipyretics,
a stimulant, an antiepileptic and an antipsychotic
drug were determined in wastewater, surface water and sediment
along the Umgeni River which is the main source of
water to Durban City in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Samples were analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography
coupled to a mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS/MS)
after clean up and pre-concentration by solid phase extraction
(SPE). At the wastewater treatment plant outlet, the antipyretic
ibuprofen was detected in concentrations up to 12.94 μg/L
and 15.96 ng/g in wastewater and bio-solids, respectively.
The antipsychotic clozapine was detected in concentrations
up to 14.43 μg/L and 18.75 ng/g in wastewater and bio-solids,
respectively. Other pharmaceuticals namely sulfamethazine,
sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin, metronidazole, trimethoprim,
acetaminophen, caffeine and carbamazepine were also
detected but in lower concentration compared to clozapine
and ibuprofen (<10 μg/L or 10 ng/g). Clozapine and ibuprofen
were detected at high concentrations in the surface water and
sediment of Umgeni River. The highest concentration of clozapine
(78.33 μg/L) was detected at the business park, while
that for ibuprofen (62.0 μg/L) was detected at the point where
a tributary, Msunduzi, joins Umgeni. Metronidazole was only
detected in sediment, and caffeine (2243.52 ng/g) was detected
at the highest concentration in the sediment at the blue
lagoon sampling site. The antibiotic sulfamethoxazole was
also detected in appreciable amounts up to 507.34 ng/g in
the sediment at the Msunduzi tributary sampling site. The data
collected implies that while insufficiently treated wastewater
contributes to surface water contamination, human activities
also contribute appreciably to the pharmaceutical loading of
River Umgeni.
Description
Keywords
Pharmaceuticals, Surface water, Sediment, Wastewater, Umgeni River
Citation
Matongo, S., Birungi, G., Moodley, B., & Ndungu, P. (2015). Occurrence of selected pharmaceuticals in water and sediment of Umgeni River, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 22(13), 10298-10308. DOI 10.1007/s11356-015-4217-0