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A novel method to characterise levels of pharmaceutical pollution in large scale aquatic monitoring campaigns

April 1, 2019

Much of the current understanding of pharmaceutical pollution in the aquatic environment is based on research conducted in Europe, North America and other select high-income nations. One reason for this geographic disparity of data globally is the high cost and analytical intensity of the research, limiting accessibility to necessary equipment. To reduce the impact of such disparities, we present a novel method to support large-scale monitoring campaigns of pharmaceuticals at different geographical scales. The approach employs the use of a miniaturised sampling and shipping approach with a high throughput and fully validated direct-injection High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry method for the quantification of 61 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and their metabolites in tap, surface, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influent and WWTP effluent water collected globally. A 7-day simulated shipping and sample stability assessment was undertaken demonstrating no significant degradation over the 1–3 days which is typical for global express shipping. Linearity (r2) was consistently ≥0.93 (median = 0.99 ± 0.02), relative standard deviation of intra- and inter-day repeatability and precision was

Publication Year 2019
Title A novel method to characterise levels of pharmaceutical pollution in large scale aquatic monitoring campaigns
DOI 10.3390/app9071368
Authors John W. Wilkinson, Alistair Boxall, Dana Kolpin
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Applied Sciences
Index ID 70206560
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Central Midwest Water Science Center
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