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Pollution Pathways of Pharmaceutical Residues in the Aquatic Environment on the Island of Mallorca, Spain

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Abstract

This work determines the principal environmental pollution pathways of pharmaceuticals on the island of Mallorca (Spain). The evaluation was made on the basis of the quantification of pharmaceutical residues by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry in several environmental water samples, including wastewater-treatment plant effluents, municipal solid waste landfill leachates, groundwater (GW), and marine water. An overall set of 19 pharmaceuticals has been identified in the environment of the 27 human pharmaceuticals investigated in this study. WWTP effluents are the main source of discharge of the pharmaceuticals into the aquatic environment. The data indicate that reuse of treated domestic wastewater for irrigation (which supplies some 30 % of the total water demand in Mallorca) contributes to the contamination of GW. In addition, leaching from landfills is identified as another, but minor, possible source of introduction of pharmaceuticals to GW aquifers. Finally, WWTP effluents ending in the Mediterranean Sea, primarily highly urbanized coastal areas, cause pharmaceutical residues to occur in marine water bodies.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge economic support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation by the Predoctoral Grant No. BES-2008-003354 and by Project CTQ 2010-15541 as well as the economic support from the Balearic Islands Government. The kind collaboration of all personnel at the waste-management companies involved in this work is sincerely acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of the Balearic Islands, Carretera de Valldemosa km 7.5, 07122, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

    Carlos Rodríguez-Navas, Fernando Maya, Rafael Forteza & Víctor Cerdà

  2. Toxicology Laboratory, Analytical Biosciences, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Erland Björklund, Søren A Bak, Martin Hansen & Kristine A. Krogh

  3. The Molecular Foundry, E.O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Fernando Maya

Authors
  1. Carlos Rodríguez-Navas
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  2. Erland Björklund
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  3. Søren A Bak
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  4. Martin Hansen
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  5. Kristine A. Krogh
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  6. Fernando Maya
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  7. Rafael Forteza
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  8. Víctor Cerdà
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Correspondence to Erland Björklund.

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Rodríguez-Navas, C., Björklund, E., Bak, S.A. et al. Pollution Pathways of Pharmaceutical Residues in the Aquatic Environment on the Island of Mallorca, Spain. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 65, 56–66 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-013-9880-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-013-9880-x

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