Next Article in Journal
Understanding the Climate Change and Land Use Impact on Streamflow in the Present and Future under CMIP6 Climate Scenarios for the Parvara Mula Basin, India
Previous Article in Journal
Influence of 3D Fracture Geometry on Water Flow and Solute Transport in Dual-Conduit Fracture
 
 
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Detection and Quantification of Pharmaceutical Residues in the Pest County Section of the River Danube

by
Tibor József
1,*,
Szonja Réka Kiss
1,
Ferenc Muzslay
1,
Orsolya Máté
2,
Gábor P. Stromájer
3 and
Tímea Stromájer-Rácz
1,*
1
Institute of Diagnostic, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pécs, H-7621 Pécs, Hungary
2
Institute of Emergency Care, Pedagogy of Health and Nursing Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pécs, H-7621 Pécs, Hungary
3
Institute of Basics of Health Sciences, Midwifery and Health Visiting, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pécs, H-7621 Pécs, Hungary
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Water 2023, 15(9), 1755; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15091755
Submission received: 3 April 2023 / Revised: 28 April 2023 / Accepted: 30 April 2023 / Published: 2 May 2023
(This article belongs to the Section Wastewater Treatment and Reuse)

Abstract

Active substances detected in surface water in Hungary today include pain and anti-inflammatory agents and antiepileptics, as wastewater treatment mechanisms cannot remove these micropollutants. The aim of our research is to detect residues of four pain-killer drugs—naproxen, nimesulide, diclofenac, and ibuprofen—and an anti-epileptic drug—carbamazepine—in water samples we collected (n = 8) from the Danube. Our samples were concentrated using solid-phase extraction and then detected with HPLC. During the evaluation, we looked for a significant difference in the concentration of the active substances. Naproxen was detectable in the largest amount in one sampling point, with an average concentration of 12,029.337 ± 1772.957 ng/L, while ibuprofen was present in the second highest concentration in another sampling site, which reached an average concentration of 4048.112 ± 2086.789 ng/L. We examined water samples taken from the same sampling sites but at different distances from the riverbank, and we found a significant difference regarding the active substance naproxen at the sampling site in Budapest District XX. The analytes were detected in varying amounts in all the water samples, so the contamination in the examined section is significant. Examining the turnover data on medicines and our results, we concluded that pharmaceutical consumption significantly contributes to the pollution of the Danube. In order to protect water quality, further research would be advisable in the field of mechanisms for wastewater treatment in order to achieve the complete removal of drug residues from wastewater.
Keywords: painkiller; antiepileptic drug; water pollution; detection of drug residues; Danube; micropollutants painkiller; antiepileptic drug; water pollution; detection of drug residues; Danube; micropollutants

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

József, T.; Kiss, S.R.; Muzslay, F.; Máté, O.; Stromájer, G.P.; Stromájer-Rácz, T. Detection and Quantification of Pharmaceutical Residues in the Pest County Section of the River Danube. Water 2023, 15, 1755. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15091755

AMA Style

József T, Kiss SR, Muzslay F, Máté O, Stromájer GP, Stromájer-Rácz T. Detection and Quantification of Pharmaceutical Residues in the Pest County Section of the River Danube. Water. 2023; 15(9):1755. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15091755

Chicago/Turabian Style

József, Tibor, Szonja Réka Kiss, Ferenc Muzslay, Orsolya Máté, Gábor P. Stromájer, and Tímea Stromájer-Rácz. 2023. "Detection and Quantification of Pharmaceutical Residues in the Pest County Section of the River Danube" Water 15, no. 9: 1755. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15091755

APA Style

József, T., Kiss, S. R., Muzslay, F., Máté, O., Stromájer, G. P., & Stromájer-Rácz, T. (2023). Detection and Quantification of Pharmaceutical Residues in the Pest County Section of the River Danube. Water, 15(9), 1755. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15091755

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop