scholarly journals Occurrence of Pharmaceutical Compounds in Groundwater from the Gran Canaria Island (Spain)

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 262
Author(s):  
Sarah Montesdeoca-Esponda ◽  
María del Pino Palacios-Díaz ◽  
Esmeralda Estévez ◽  
Zoraida Sosa-Ferrera ◽  
José Juan Santana-Rodríguez ◽  
...  

The presence of pharmaceutical compounds in the whole environment is a growing concern. These compounds might be present in the effluents of wastewater treatment plants and, hence, irrigation with treated sewage may be a source of groundwater pollution. The volcanic aquifer that lies NE of Gran Canaria (Spain) was studied to address the relationship of the occurrence of pharmaceutical compounds and a golf course that has been irrigated with regenerated water since 1973. Of the 14 analyzed groundwater samples, five wells were chosen to perform annual monitoring. Irrigation water and soil leachate were also evaluated. The target analytes were atenolol, metamizole, fluoxetine, ibuprofen, nicotine, permethrin, caffeine, and their metabolite paraxanthine. The environmental risk is limited as the concentrations of the pharmaceuticals measured in the sampled wells were always below 60 ng·L−1 (lower than the detected caffeine and nicotine concentrations). Wide variations for the same wells were measured among sampling campaigns, and also among the different wells. The study points to the importance of sample conservation during transport and the need to perform analyses immediately, or to follow an in-situ extraction procedure to carry concentrated samples under better conditions.

2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 1282-1288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Å. Davidsson ◽  
H. Kjerstadius ◽  
S. Haghighatafshar ◽  
J. Fick ◽  
M. Olsson ◽  
...  

The application of treated sewage sludge on farmland is a suggested method for recycling nutrients and reducing demand for commercial fertilizer. However, sludge needs to be safe from possible contaminants which can cause acute and long-term health and environmental problems. Residual pharmaceuticals and organic contaminants are mentioned as emerging threats since wastewater treatment plants are not designed to degrade these substances. The aim of this study was to screen and evaluate the presence, and reduction, of pharmaceuticals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during anaerobic digestion of mixed primary and waste-activated sludge at 35, 55 and 60 °C and during pasteurization at 70 °C. The study showed the difficulty of analysing pharmaceutical compounds in low concentrations in the sludge matrix. No general reduction of these compounds was seen during treatment, but for individual substances some reduction occured. The PAHs were generally not reduced during digestion or pasteurization, but for three substances (indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene and dibenzo[a,h]anthracene (analysed together) and benzo[g,h,i]perylene) reduction (up to 60%) during digestion was seen. Digestion at 35 and 55 °C resulted in about the same order of reduction of the three individual PAHs, which was higher than for digestion at 60 °C.


SpringerPlus ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rayco Guedes-Alonso ◽  
Cristina Afonso-Olivares ◽  
Sarah Montesdeoca-Esponda ◽  
Zoraida Sosa-Ferrera ◽  
José Juan Santana-Rodríguez

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-188
Author(s):  
Rómulo Jacobo González-garcía ◽  
Paloma Escamilla-Fajardo ◽  
Samuel López-Carril ◽  
Juan Nuñez-Pomar

El sector del turismo deportivo recibe cada vez una mayor atención por parte de los distintos agentes sociales, teniendo un alto impacto en distintas esferas de la sociedad. El turismo no sólo afecta a las actitudes de los residentes hacia su desarrollo, sino también a su calidad de vida en general. Una vez que una comunidad o población se convierte en un destino turístico, la calidad de vida de los residentes locales se ve afectada por el desarrollo del mismo. Por consiguiente, es relevante conocer cuáles son las percepciones de los residentes respecto al impacto que causa el turismo deportivo. Por ello, el objetivo del presente estudio es analizar las percepciones de los residentes de Gran Canaria hacia los efectos del turismo deportivo, en ámbitos como su impacto, la calidad de vida y el apoyo al sector. Los resultados del estudio indican que, a mayores niveles de percepción positivos de los residentes sobre los impactos sociales, culturales, ambientales y económicos, hay un mayor apoyo hacia el desarrollo del turismo. Por otra parte, también se produce un efecto mediador significativo de la variable calidad de vida de los residentes, entre la relación de impactos percibidos y el apoyo al desarrollo del turismo activo y deportivo en Gran Canaria. Estos resultados posibilitan un mejor entendimiento de la perspectiva que los residentes tienen hacía el sector turístico deportivo, algo que puede ayudar a orientar futuras decisiones sobre la práctica, desarrollo y planificación del turismo deportivo. The sports tourism sector is receiving increasing attention from different social actors, having a high impact on different spheres of society. Tourism not only affects residents' attitudes towards their development, but also their quality of life in general. Once a community or population becomes a tourist destination, the quality of life of local residents is affected by its development. It is therefore important to know what residents' perceptions are of the impact of sports tourism. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyse the perceptions of the residents of Gran Canaria towards the effects of sports tourism, in areas such as its impact, quality of life and support for the sector. The results of the study indicate that, at higher levels of positive perception by residents of the social, cultural, environmental and economic impacts, there is greater support for the development of tourism. On the other hand, there is also a significant mediating effect of the variable quality of life of the residents, between the relationship of perceived impacts and the support for the development of active and sports tourism in Gran Canaria. These results make it possible to better understand the perspective that residents have towards the sports tourism sector, something that can help guide future decisions on the practice, development and planning of sports tourism. O sector do turismo desportivo está a receber cada vez mais atenção por parte de diferentes actores sociais, tendo um elevado impacto em diferentes esferas da sociedade. O turismo não afecta apenas as atitudes dos residentes em relação ao seu desenvolvimento, mas também a sua qualidade de vida em geral. Uma vez que uma comunidade ou população se torna um destino turístico, a qualidade de vida dos residentes locais é afectada pelo seu desenvolvimento. Por conseguinte, é importante conhecer a percepção que os residentes têm do impacto do turismo desportivo. Portanto, o objectivo deste estudo é analisar as percepções dos residentes da Gran Canária sobre os efeitos do turismo desportivo, em áreas como o seu impacto, qualidade de vida e apoio ao sector. Os resultados do estudo indicam que, em níveis mais elevados de percepção positiva dos residentes sobre os impactos sociais, culturais, ambientais e econômicos, há maior apoio para o desenvolvimento do turismo. Por outro lado, existe também um efeito mediador significativo da variável qualidade de vida dos residentes, entre a relação de impactos percebidos e o apoio ao desenvolvimento do turismo ativo e desportivo na Gran Canária. Estes resultados permitem compreender melhor a perspectiva que os residentes têm em relação ao sector do turismo desportivo, algo que pode ajudar a orientar futuras decisões sobre a prática, desenvolvimento e planeamento do turismo desportivo. Il settore del turismo sportivo sta ricevendo un'attenzione crescente da parte di diversi attori sociali, con un forte impatto sulle diverse sfere della società. Il turismo influenza non solo l'atteggiamento dei residenti nei confronti del loro sviluppo, ma anche la loro qualità di vita in generale. Una volta che una comunità o una popolazione diventa una destinazione turistica, la qualità della vita dei residenti locali è influenzata dal suo sviluppo. È quindi importante sapere quali sono le percezioni dei residenti sull'impatto del turismo sportivo. Pertanto, l'obiettivo di questo studio è quello di analizzare le percezioni degli abitanti di Gran Canaria nei confronti degli effetti del turismo sportivo, in settori quali l'impatto, la qualità della vita e il sostegno al settore. I risultati dello studio indicano che, a livelli più elevati di percezione positiva da parte dei residenti degli impatti sociali, culturali, ambientali ed economici, vi è un maggiore sostegno allo sviluppo del turismo. D'altra parte, c'è anche un significativo effetto mediatore della variabile qualità della vita dei residenti, tra la relazione degli impatti percepiti e il sostegno allo sviluppo del turismo attivo e sportivo a Gran Canaria. Questi risultati permettono di comprendere meglio la prospettiva che i residenti hanno nei confronti del settore del turismo sportivo, cosa che può aiutare a guidare le future decisioni sulla pratica, lo sviluppo e la pianificazione del turismo sportivo.


Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 448
Author(s):  
Mahrous Awad ◽  
Zhongzhen Liu ◽  
Milan Skalicky ◽  
Eldessoky S. Dessoky ◽  
Marian Brestic ◽  
...  

Heavy metals (HMs) toxicity represents a global problem depending on the soil environment’s geochemical forms. Biochar addition safely reduces HMs mobile forms, thus, reducing their toxicity to plants. While several studies have shown that biochar could significantly stabilize HMs in contaminated soils, the study of the relationship of soil properties to potential mechanisms still needs further clarification; hence the importance of assessing a naturally contaminated soil amended, in this case with Paulownia biochar (PB) and Bamboo biochar (BB) to fractionate Pb, Cd, Zn, and Cu using short sequential fractionation plans. The relationship of soil pH and organic matter and its effect on the redistribution of these metals were estimated. The results indicated that the acid-soluble metals decreased while the fraction bound to organic matter increased compared to untreated pots. The increase in the organic matter metal-bound was mostly at the expense of the decrease in the acid extractable and Fe/Mn bound ones. The highest application of PB increased the organically bound fraction of Pb, Cd, Zn, and Cu (62, 61, 34, and 61%, respectively), while the BB increased them (61, 49, 42, and 22%, respectively) over the control. Meanwhile, Fe/Mn oxides bound represents the large portion associated with zinc and copper. Concerning soil organic matter (SOM) and soil pH, as potential tools to reduce the risk of the target metals, a significant positive correlation was observed with acid-soluble extractable metal, while a negative correlation was obtained with organic matter-bound metal. The principal component analysis (PCA) shows that the total variance represents 89.7% for the TCPL-extractable and HMs forms and their relation to pH and SOM, which confirms the positive effect of the pH and SOM under PB and BB treatments on reducing the risk of the studied metals. The mobility and bioavailability of these metals and their geochemical forms widely varied according to pH, soil organic matter, biochar types, and application rates. As an environmentally friendly and economical material, biochar emphasizes its importance as a tool that makes the soil more suitable for safe cultivation in the short term and its long-term sustainability. This study proves that it reduces the mobility of HMs, their environmental risks and contributes to food safety. It also confirms that performing more controlled experiments, such as a pot, is a disciplined and effective way to assess the suitability of different types of biochar as soil modifications to restore HMs contaminated soil via controlling the mobilization of these minerals.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 1639 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Guedes-Alonso ◽  
S. Montesdeoca-Esponda ◽  
J. Pacheco-Juárez ◽  
Z. Sosa-Ferrera ◽  
J. J. Santana-Rodríguez

To encourage the reutilization of treated wastewaters as an adaptation strategy to climate change it is necessary to demonstrate their quality. If this is ensured, reclaimed waters could be a valuable resource that produces very little environmental impact and risks to human health. However, wastewaters are one of the main sources of emerging pollutants that are discharged in the environment. For this, it is essential to assess the presence of these pollutants, especially pharmaceutical compounds, in treated wastewaters. Moreover, the different treatment processes must be evaluated in order to know if conventional and natural treatment technologies are efficient in the removal of these types of compounds. This is an important consideration if the treated wastewaters are used in agricultural activities. Owing to the complexity of wastewater matrixes and the low concentrations of pharmaceutical residues in these types of samples, it is necessary to use sensitive analytical methodologies. In this study, the presence of 11 pharmaceutical compounds were assessed in three different wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Gran Canaria (Spain). Two of these WWTPs use conventional purification technologies and they are located in densely populated areas, while the other studied WWTP is based in constructed wetlands which purify the wastewaters of a rural area. The sampling was performed monthly for two years. A solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was applied for the analysis of the samples, and the 11 pharmaceuticals were detected in all the studied WWTPs. The concentrations were variable and ranged from ng·L−1 in some compounds like diclofenac or carbamazepine to µg·L−1 in common pharmaceutical compounds such as caffeine, naproxen or ibuprofen. In addition, removal efficiencies in both conventional and natural purification systems were evaluated. Similar removal efficiencies were obtained using different purifying treatments, especially for some pharmaceutical families as stimulants or anti-inflammatories. Other compounds like carbamazepine showed a recalcitrant behavior. Secondary treatments presented similar removal efficiencies in both conventional and natural wastewater treatment plants, but conventional treatments showed slightly higher elimination ratios. Regarding tertiary system, the treatment with highest removal efficiencies was reverse osmosis in comparison with microfiltration and electrodialysis reversal.


2004 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 249-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Bejvl ◽  
P. Matuška ◽  
J. Stara ◽  
P. Chudoba

The evolution of Czech standards requires higher efficiency of nutrient removal from municipal wastewaters. At the beginning of the last decade of 20th century, a new activated sludge configuration called R-AN-D-N process has been described, successfully tested and now largely used at several wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in the Czech republic. The main feature of the R-AN-D-N process is the introduction of a regeneration zone in sludge recycle, which enables to increase sludge age in the system without any substantial increase in WWTP volume. Performances of three Czech large WWTP with R-AN-D-N configuration have been monitored and compared within a period of one and a half years. The results confirmed excellent nutrient removal efficiency for wastewaters with different proportion between sewage and industrial effluents. Two of three monitored WWTP received wastewaters from breweries (Budweiser and Pilsner Urquell). The settleability of activated sludge from all three WWTP was correct, with SVI values usually ranging from 50 to 150 ml/g. Monitoring of sludge composition indicated proliferation of several filamentous bacteria, particularly types 0581, 0092 and M. parvicella. No severe bulking events were observed. Finally, the operational costs expressed in CZK (Czech crown: 1CZK = €0.0322) per cubic metre of treated sewage or per capita amounts respectively from 2.24 to 6.52, and from 285 to 342.


Author(s):  
David Ghosh ◽  
Cyril Jeannet

AbstractPrevious investigations by others and internal investigations at Philip Morris International (PMI) have shown that the standard trapping and extraction procedure used for conventional cigarettes, defined in the International Standard ISO 4387 (Cigarettes -- Determination of total and nicotine-free dry particulate matter using a routine analytical smoking machine), is not suitable for high-water content aerosols. Errors occur because of water losses during the opening of the Cambridge filter pad holder to remove the filter pad as well as during the manual handling of the filter pad, and because the commercially available filter pad holder, which is constructed out of plastic, may adsorb water. This results in inaccurate values for the water content, and erroneous and overestimated values for Nicotine Free Dry Particulate Matter (NFDPM). A modified 44 mm Cambridge filter pad holder and extraction equipment which supports in situ extraction methodology has been developed and tested. The principle of the in situ extraction methodology is to avoid any of the above mentioned water losses by extracting the loaded filter pad while kept in the Cambridge filter pad holder which is hermetically sealed by two caps. This is achieved by flushing the extraction solvent numerous times through the hermetically sealed Cambridge filter pad holder by means of an in situ extractor. The in situ methodology showed a significantly more complete water recovery, resulting in more accurate NFDPM values for high-water content aerosols compared to the standard ISO methodology. The work presented in this publication demonstrates that the in situ extraction methodology applies to a wider range of smoking products and smoking regimens, whereas the standard ISO methodology only applies to a limited range of smoking products and smoking regimens, e.g., conventional cigarettes smoked under ISO smoking regimen. In cases where a comparison of yields between the PMI HTP and conventional cigarettes is required the in situ extraction methodology must be used for the aerosol of the PMI HTP to obtain accurate NFDPM/”tar” values. This would be for example the case if there were a need to print “tar” yields on packs or compare yields to ceilings. Failure to use the in situ extraction methodology will result in erroneous and overestimated NFDPM/”tar” values.


Chemosphere ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 84 (8) ◽  
pp. 1158-1165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Gago-Ferrero ◽  
M. Silvia Díaz-Cruz ◽  
Damià Barceló

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