Antibiotic residues and endocrine disrupting compounds in municipal wastewater treatment plants in Rome, Italy

Publication date: July 2019Source: Microchemical Journal, Volume 148Author(s): F. Spataro, N. Ademollo, T. Pescatore, J. Rauseo, L. PatroleccoAbstractEndocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceutical residues are environmental ubiquitous contaminants of particular concern due to their possible ecotoxicological effects on aquatic ecosystems. In this work, the occurrence and fate of six antibiotics (amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, tylosin, erithromycin, sulfamethoxazole and chlortetracycline) and four phenolic endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs, i.e. bisphenol A, 4-nonylphenol, nonylphenol mono- and di-ethoxylate) in the influents and effluents of the principal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serving the city of Rome (Italy) were investigated. The aim of the study was to provide information on the persistence of the selected contaminants in the urban WWTPs, to evaluate the removal efficiencies of the investigated plants and to perform a preliminary assessment of the potential ecological risk due to the discharge through the effluents of the residual pollutants into the receiving river waters. The analytes were extracted/concentrated from 24-h composite wastewater samples by solid phase extraction (SPE), and the analytical determination was carried out by HPLC MS-MS for the antibiotics and by HPLC-fluorescence detection for the EDCs.All the contaminants were detected both in the inlet and outlet samples of the WWTPs investigated, with the only exception of the antibioti...
Source: Microchemical Journal - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research