This study reports the development of a multi-residue method for determining 48 compounds of emerging concern (CEC) in Slovenian wastewater (WW) and surface water (SW). Solid-phase extraction with Oasis™ Prime cartridges was favoured over Oasis HLB™. The validated method was applied to 52 WW and 43 SW samples collected at nine locations. Ten bisphenols (BPs) in WW and 14 BPs in SW were traced in Europe for the first time. Among the 48 targeted CEC, 21 in influents and 20 in effluents were determined above LOQs. We are the first to report the presence of the diclofenac TP in WWs (3.04–78.1?ng?L-1). Based on mass loads in the WW influents, caffeine is consumed in high amounts (105,000?mg day-1 1000 inhab.-1) in Slovenia, while active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are consumed in lower amounts compared to other European countries. Removal of four BPs (17–78%), one preservative (36%) and four APIs (-14–91%) was lower in winter. Overall, a constructed wetland showed the lowest (0–80%) and most inconsistent removal efficiencies (SD?)?40%) of some CECs including caffeine, two UV-filters, two preservatives and two APIs compared to other treatment technologies. Based on evaluated risk quotients (0.282–15.5) two UV-filters, estrone and triclosan, posed a medium to high environmental risk.
COBISS.SI-ID: 31503911
A precise and accurate GC–MS/MS method with ng?L-1 LLOQs, acceptable recovery and estimated uncertainty was developed following the Eurachem guidelines. We established the migration and stability of twelve bisphenols in two food simulants (C: 20% ethanol, and B: 3% acetic acid) from beverage cans (n?=?16) and reusable metal and plastic sports bottles (n?=?51). Bisphenols were stable in dried and derivatised extracts. Cans leached BPA ((5865?ng?L-1), three BPF isomers (8.2–1286?ng?L-1) and BPAP (1.6?ng?L-1), while bottles leached BPA ((222?ng?L-1) and BPF, BPE, BPB and BPZ (1.1–4.6?ng?L-1). Simulant C was more aggressive than simulant B, and concentrations of bisphenols decreased with consecutive exposure to simulants. Levels of BPA migrating from cans did not exceed the specific migration limits.
COBISS.SI-ID: 20369923
This study assessed the biodegradation kinetics of BPF and BPS during biological wastewater treatment with activated sludge using GC-MS/MS, and the identification of biotransformation products (BTPs) using LC-QTOF-MS. The results showed that BPF and BPS degrade readily and unlikely accumulate in biosolids or wastewater effluent. The first-order kinetic model revealed that BPF degraded faster than BPS and that degradation rate decreases with an increasing initial concentration of BPS. The absence of any additional organic carbon source significantly slowed down degradation, in particular, that of BPS. The machine-learning algorithm adopted as part of the non-targeted workflow identified three known BTPs and one novel BTP of BPF, and one known and ten new BTPs of BPS. The data from this study support possible new biodegradation pathways, namely sulphation, methylation, cleavage and the coupling of smaller bisphenol moieties.
COBISS.SI-ID: 29781507
Bisphenols are industrial chemicals that are used as monomers in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. These compounds can leach into the aqueous environment, where they can exert toxic effects. The aim of this study was to assess the photochemical degradation of three common bisphenols: BPF, BPS and BPZ in aqueous solution. Three independent experiments were performed based on 1) direct photolysis using UV irradiation, 2) cyclodextrin-enhanced photolysis and 3) the photo-Fenton reaction. The analysis was performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS). This approach enabled for the first time a comparison between various conditions of photochemical degradation, revealing to be an effective way of removing () 90%) BPF, BPS and BPZ from aqueous samples. In all cases, degradation followed a pseudo-first order kinetic profile, while removal efficiency and formation of transformation products (TPs) depended on the applied process. The photo-Fenton process resulted in the shortest half-lives (16.1 ? 21.7?min) and generated the highest number of TPs. Overall, we identified 11 novels and eight previously reported TPs.
COBISS.SI-ID: 32144423
The present study reports exposure of children and adolescents in Slovenia to a wide range of different endocrine disrupting chemicals for the first time, connecting it to exposure patterns and exposure sources. The study is to the authors’ knowledge the first that investigates direct connection between levels of urinary endocrine disrupting chemical biomarkers and genetic polymorphism in UGT2B15.
COBISS.SI-ID: 34056707