Aquatic organisms from freshwater ecosystems impacted by raw wastewater or wastewater effluent are constantly exposed to trace concentrations of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). For this reason, organisms inhabiting freshwater ecosystems may accumulate CECs in their tissue. However, studies on potential bioaccumulation of CECs in different trophic levels are scarce due to limitations in the analysis of complex biological matrices. In this regard, a multi-residue method for the analysis of 40 CECs in water and tissue samples has been developed. The target list of analytes includes multiple classes of antibiotics, estrogens, and UV filters. A modified extraction strategy based on the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) method was developed. The procedure involved salting out liquid-liquid extraction and defatting followed by online solid-phase extraction liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-LC-MS/MS). The optimized analytical protocol exhibited good recoveries (&gt; 50%) for target compounds and enabled determination of analytes at ng/L and ng/g levels for water and tissue samples, respectively. The method was subsequently applied to determine the concentrations of target analytes in surface water and crayfish (Orconectes virilis) collected from a highly urbanized watershed, impacted by leaking wastewater infrastructure. Three antibiotics (i.e., ofloxacin, clarithromycin, and sulfamethoxazole), one estrogen (i.e., estrone), and two UV filters (i.e., benzophenone-3 and octocrylene) were measured in water at concentrations up to 1300 ng/L. Estrone, benzophenone-3, and octocrylene, along with 17α-ethinylestradiol and octinoxate, were also detected in tissue samples. The proposed method allows for quick and sensitive analysis of a wide range of CECs in complex biological matrices. Importantly, these results highlighted bioaccumulation of certain CECs in freshwater crayfish, a phenomenon that has not been previously reported.

Multi-residue analysis of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in water and tissue samples from a freshwater environment by modified QuEChERS extraction followed by SPE-LC-MS/MS

251st National Meeting (2016)

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