Detection and quantification of pharmaceuticals in sediment, seawater, and wastewater treatment plant samples

Abstract

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are increasingly occurring in nature. Their presence is posing a concern about antibiotic resistance in bacteria and other effects on the ecosystem, which are not yet fully understood. Norwegian pollution regulations do not require removal or monitoring of APIs and their transformation products in effluents discharged by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Detection of such emerging contaminants is challenged by low substance concentrations, unknown properties, and underdeveloped methods for detecting the wide variety of APIs from many and diverse therapeutic classes. With the development of increasingly sensitive and selective analytical methods, such as mass spectrometry, detection methods are continuously improved.