In recent years, it has come to light that aquatic systems are becoming increasingly contaminated by manufactured pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs). Among concern is the emergence of high levels of prescription medications and illicit/recreational drugs found in surface water and sediment samples worldwide. This study focused on two PPCPs groups: opiates (prescription pain killers) and amphetamines (illicit, recreational use drugs). A multi-component mixture of these substances was selected for the quantification of the concentrations of the PPCPs in water, sediment, and biota samples from the tidal freshwater Potomac River (TFWPR) near Washington, DC. The PPCPs in these samples were analyzed for the compounds of interest using a Shimadzu Model 8050 triple quadrapole LC-MS, which has proven to be reliable at determining PPCPs at sub-ppb concentrations in environmental matrices. The PPCPs in these samples were also analyzed for the metabolites of the compounds of interest using a Shimadzu LCMS-IT-TOF mass spectrometer. The PPCPs were detected and quantified in all matrices at ppb concentrations, which were analyzed statistically using Principal Components Analysis, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman Rank correlations via Minitab. Observed concentrations in the TFWPR were the greatest in sediments and fish. Ecological risk of the PPCPs was evaluated using the Hazard Quotient assessment derived through estimated toxicity obtained from the ECOSAR database coupled with the measured concentrations.

Sources and presence of opiates and amphetamines in water, sediment and biota in the tidal freshwater Potomac River and its tributary embayments

256th National Meeting (2018)

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