Analysis of estrogens in wastewater using solid-phase extraction, QuEChERS cleanup, and liquid chromatography/ tandem mass spectrometry.

We present an improved method for trace level quantification of five estrogens including estriol, estrone, 17alpha-estradiol, 17beta-estradiol, and 17alpha-ethinylestradiol in wastewaters. Our method includes sample preparation using SPE followed by a Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) cleanup step, a derivatization, and LC/MS/MS determination. Sample extraction was carried out using Oasis HLB cartridges and a dispersive solid-phase cleanup pack containing MgSO4 and primary-secondary amine and C18 sorbents.

Occurrence and removal of selected pharmaceuticals and personal care products in three wastewater-treatment plants.

Residues of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have been detected in surface waters. Incomplete removal of these compounds by wastewater-treatment plants (WWTPs) results in their presence in effluents and finally in surface waters. The occurrence and removal of four PPCPs was investigated in three WWTPs in Mississippi, USA, during a period of 1 year.

Fate of triclosan and triclocarban in soil columns with and without biosolids surface application.

The leaching and transformation behaviors of triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) in soil columns (20 cm high, 4 cm in diameter) packed with an agricultural soil (Roxana very fine sandy loam) with and without biosolids surface application were investigated. The column leachates and soil samples were analyzed for TCS, TCC, and their transformation products. Significantly more TCS was transformed compared with TCC.

Transformation of triclosan and triclocarban in soils and biosolids-applied soils.

Triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC), widely used as antibacterial agents, have been frequently detected in biosolids. Biosolids land application may introduce pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) such as TCS and TCC into the environment. Microcosm studies were conducted to investigate TCS and TCC transformation in Marietta fine loam and McLaurin coarse loam.

Growth and development of tadpoles (Xenopus laevis) exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, fluoxetine and sertraline, throughout metamorphosis.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are widely prescribed drugs that are present in sewage effluents and surface waters. The objective of the present study was to determine whether low environmentally relevant concentrations of the SSRIs fluoxetine and sertraline could impair growth and development in tadpoles of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) and to evaluate if such effects may be caused by a disruption of the neuroendocrine system. Tadpoles were exposed to SSRIs at concentrations of 0.

Determination of 17alpha-ethynylestradiol, carbamazepine, diazepam, simvastatin, and oxybenzone in fish livers.

A method using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed for the determination of 17alpha-ethynylestradiol in fish liver; a second method using LC/MS was developed for the determination of carbamazepine, diazepam, simvastatin, and oxybenzone in fish liver. The fish liver samples were extracted and cleaned up by using liquid-liquid extraction and solid-phase extraction before the extracts were analyzed by LC/MS or LC/MS/MS with electrospray negative and positive ionization. Recoveries of the 5 target compounds from spiked catfish liver ranged from 72 +/- 2 to 100 +/- 3%.

Assessment of the toxicological interaction of sertraline with cholinesterase inhibiting insecticides in aquatic insects using the black fly, Simulium vittatum IS-7.

Sertraline is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) prescribed as an antidepressant. Although SSRIs are known to block serotonin reuptake sites on cell membranes, they also have been shown to inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Thus, the interaction of these chemicals with other AChE inhibitors, namely, organophosphate and carbamate insecticides, is of interest.

Aqueous solubility, n-octanol-water partition coefficient, and sorption of five selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors to sediments and soils.

Aqueous solubilities (S (w)) and n-octanol-water partition coefficients (K (ow)) of five selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were measured and sorption to two sediments and three soils with organic matter contents ranging from 0.16% to 1.77% and pH ranging between 5.

Laboratory persistence and fate of fluoxetine in aquatic environments.

The persistence and fate of fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, has been investigated in laboratory-scale experiments, including studies with various aqueous solutions, water/sediment systems, and activated sludge-amended medium. The samples were placed in the dark and/or in a growth chamber fitted with fluorescent lamps simulating the ultraviolet output of sunlight. Over a period of 30 d, fluoxetine was hydrolytically and photolytically stable in all aqueous solutions except synthetic humic water (pH 7), in which the degradation rate was increased by approximately 13-fold in comparison with buffered solutions at the same pH.

Degradation of chlorothalonil in irradiated water/sediment systems.

Water/sediment systems were used to investigate partitioning behavior between waters and sediments, as well as the degradation of the fungicide chlorothalonil (CHT) in each matrix. Experiments were run in the light and dark simultaneously for 30 days in both creek and pond sediment systems. Of the total applied CHT, 87-88% dissipated from the water phase in both water/sediment systems within 1 day when irradiated by simulated sunlight.

Degradation of citalopram by simulated sunlight.

Citalopram (CIT), 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-phthalancarbonitrile, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, is one of the most widely used antidepressants for the treatment of anxiety, obsessional, and control disorders. The degradation of the pharmaceutical CIT hydrogen bromide in water was investigated in the dark and in a growth chamber outfitted with fluorescent lamps simulating the ultraviolet output of sunlight at 25 degrees C. No significant degradation could be detected in dark controls in any aqueous solution investigated over a period of 30 d.

Photo-isomerization of fluvoxamine in aqueous solutions.

The hydrolysis and photolysis of fluvoxamine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, in aqueous buffer solutions (pH 5, 7, and 9), in synthetic humic water, and lake waters were investigated in the dark and in a growth chamber outfitted with fluorescent lamps simulating the UV output of sunlight at 25 degrees C. No significant hydrolytic degradation/isomerization was observed for 30 days in all aqueous solutions. However, fluvoxamine was moderately isomerized to its (Z)-isomer by simulated sunlight.

Hydrolysis and photolysis of flumioxazin in aqueous buffer solutions.

To determine the degradation rates and degradation products of the herbicide flumioxazin in aqueous buffer solutions (pH 5, 7 and 9), its hydrolysis and photolysis were investigated at 30 degrees C in the dark, and in a growth chamber fitted with fluorescent lamps simulating the UV output of sunlight. The rate of hydrolysis of flumioxazin was accelerated by increasing pH. The t(1/2) values at pH 5, 7 and 9 were 16.

Acute and chronic toxicity of five selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in Ceriodaphnia dubia.

Contamination of surface waters by pharmaceutical chemicals has raised concern among environmental scientists because of the potential for negative effects on aquatic organisms. Of particular importance are pharmaceutical compounds that affect the nervous or endocrine systems because effects on aquatic organisms are possible at low environmental concentrations. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are drugs used to treat clinical depression in humans, and have been detected in low concentrations in surface waters.

Hydrolysis and photolysis of paroxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, in aqueous solutions.

The hydrolysis and photolysis of paroxetine HCI, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, in aqueous buffer solutions (pH 5, 7, and 9), in synthetic humic water, and in lake water were investigated at 25 degrees C in the dark and in a growth chamber outfitted with fluorescent lamps simulating the ultraviolet (UV) output of sunlight. Paroxetine was degraded completely within 4 d by simulated sunlight in all aqueous media. Photolysis of paroxetine HCI was accelerated by increasing pH.

Long-term fate of the herbicide cinosulfuron in lysimeters planted with rice over four consecutive years.

In order to elucidate the long-term fate of the sulfonylurea herbicide cinosulfuron, the 14C-labelled chemical was applied to a clay loam soil, encased in two lysimeters, 22 days after rice (Oryza sativa L.) transplanting, and rice plants were grown for four consecutive years. Throughout the experimental period, leaching through soil profiles, absorption and translocation by rice plants, and distribution of 14C by downward movement in the soil layers were clarified.