Occurrence of acidic pharmaceuticals in raw and treated sewages and in receiving waters

The occurrence of five acidic pharmaceuticals, ibuprofen, naproxen, ketoprofen, diclofenac and bezafibrate, in seven different sewage treatment plants (STP) and three receiving waters were determined. The analytical procedure included solid phase extraction, liquid chromatographic separation and detection by a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer. The studied pharmaceuticals were found in all the STPs. The pattern of the occurrence of individual compounds was the same in every STP and matched the consumption figures reported in the literature. Ibuprofen is the most used pharmaceutical in Finland and was accordingly found to be the most abundant compound in the raw sewage. In the treatment processes, the highest removal rate was observed for ibuprofen and the lowest for diclofenac, 92%+/-8% and 26%+/-17%, respectively. Due to the incomplete removal in the STPs, the pharmaceuticals were found in rivers at the discharge points of the STP effluents. Downstream from the discharge points, the concentrations decreased significantly mainly due to dilution in the river water. The risk to the aquatic environment was estimated by a ratio of measured environmental concentration (MEC) and predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC). At the concentrations the compounds were found in the surface waters, they should not pose risk for the aquatic environment. However, at dry seasons and/or during malfunctions of STPs, ibuprofen could be associated with a risk in small river systems.