Application of QuEChERS extraction and LC-MS/MS for determination of pharmaceuticals in sewage sludges sampled across the Czech Republic.

The use of pharmaceuticals entails a significant risk of environmental contamination. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered to be the main contributors to contamination as they ineffectively eliminate these compounds from wastewater. Simultaneously, they produce solid waste, sludge, which often contains a variety of retained pollutants, including pharmaceuticals.

Spatiotemporal trends and annual fluxes of pharmaceuticals in a Scottish priority catchment.

Pharmaceuticals (a class of emerging contaminants) are continuously introduced into effluent-receiving surface waters due to their incomplete removal within wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This work investigated the presence and distribution of eight commonly used human pharmaceuticals in the River Dee (Scotland, UK), a Scottish Environment Protection Agency priority catchment that is a conservation site and important raw water source. Grab sampling and passive sampling (Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler, POCIS) was performed over 12 months, targeting: paracetamol, ibuprofen, and diclofenac (analgesics/anti-inflammatories); clarithromycin and trimethoprim (antibiotics); carbamazepine and fluoxetine (psychoactive drugs); and 17α-ethynylestradiol (estrogen hormone).