Surface water samples from a 2016 ecological study of a tributary embayment of the tidal freshwater Potomac River (Hunting Creek, Alexandria, VA, USA) near a wastewater treatment plant (WTP) discharge were analyzed for selected pharmaceutical trace-organic pollutants (TrOCs). The samples were extracted using a tandem solid-phase extraction (SPE) protocol consisting of a strong cation exchange cartridge and a strong anion exchange cartridge which were conditioned separately, connected for extraction of 1 L samples and then washed and extracted separately. The extracts were combined and analyzed with electrospray ionization (ESI) liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). A total of 23 pharmaceutical compounds were found in the water samples with the highest concentrations of most from samples closer to the discharge site. Caffeine and sulfamethoxazole were found in all samples with a mean concentration of 98.7 and 106.9 ng L-1, respectively and a high concentration of 147.8 and 431.9 ng L-1, respectively. Triamterene and metoprolol, both blood pressure regulators, were found in most samples with a mean concentration of 57.1 and 122.7 ng L-1, respectively and a high concentration of 110.7 and 690.5 ng L-1, respectively. Other commonly detected TrOCs included trimethoprim, dextromethorphan, propranolol, and sulfaquinoxaline. Both opiate pain killers oxycodone and hydrocodone appeared only in samples close to the discharge site at mean concentrations of 18.5 and 10.0 ng L-1, respectively. Surrogate standard recoveries of norsertraline-13C6 for the method were acceptable with a mean and standard deviation (N= 53) of 70.1% ±16.1%.

Pharmaceutical trace organic pollutants in surface water from the tidal freshwater Potomac River: Tandem strong-anion and strong-cation exchange cartridge extractions

254th National Meeting (2017)

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