TY - JOUR

T1 - Occurrence, distribution, and ecotoxicological risk assessment of selected pharmaceutical compounds in water from Lake Victoria, Uganda

AU - Nantaba, Florence

AU - Wasswa, John

AU - Kylin, Henrik

AU - Palm, Wolf Ulrich

AU - Bouwman, Hindrik

AU - Kümmerer, Klaus

PY - 2020/1/1

Y1 - 2020/1/1

N2 - The occurrence of 24 pharmaceuticals (including 15 antibiotics, three analgesic/anti-inflammatory drugs, three anti-epileptic/antidepressant drugs, two beta blockers, and one lipid regulator) was investigated in 75 water samples collected from four bays in the Ugandan part of Lake Victoria. In addition, the potential environmental risk of the target pharmaceutical compounds to aquatic organisms in the aquatic ecosystem of Lake Victoria was assessed. Water samples were extracted using solid phase extraction and analyzed for pharmaceuticals using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Eighteen of the 24 pharmaceuticals occurred at quantifiable concentrations. Sulfamethoxazole (1–5600 ng L−1), trimethoprim (1–89 ng L−1), tetracycline (3–70 ng L−1), sulfacetamide (1–13 ng L−1), and ibuprofen (6–780 ng L−1) occurred at quantifiable concentrations in all water samples. Sulfamethazine (2–50 ng L−1), erythromycin (10–66 ng L−1), diclofenac (2–160 ng L−1), and carbamazepine (5–72 ng L−1) were only quantifiable in water samples from Murchison Bay. The highest concentrations of pharmaceuticals were found in Murchison Bay, the main recipient of sewage effluents, industrial and municipal waste from Kampala city via the Nakivubo channel. Ecotoxicological risk assessment showed that sulfamethoxazole, oxytetracycline, erythromycin, and diclofenac pose a high toxic risk to aquatic organisms in the lake, while ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and ibuprofen pose a medium risk. This study is the first of its kind to report the levels and ecotoxic risks of pharmaceutical compounds in Lake Victoria waters, of Uganda, and East Africa as a whole.

AB - The occurrence of 24 pharmaceuticals (including 15 antibiotics, three analgesic/anti-inflammatory drugs, three anti-epileptic/antidepressant drugs, two beta blockers, and one lipid regulator) was investigated in 75 water samples collected from four bays in the Ugandan part of Lake Victoria. In addition, the potential environmental risk of the target pharmaceutical compounds to aquatic organisms in the aquatic ecosystem of Lake Victoria was assessed. Water samples were extracted using solid phase extraction and analyzed for pharmaceuticals using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Eighteen of the 24 pharmaceuticals occurred at quantifiable concentrations. Sulfamethoxazole (1–5600 ng L−1), trimethoprim (1–89 ng L−1), tetracycline (3–70 ng L−1), sulfacetamide (1–13 ng L−1), and ibuprofen (6–780 ng L−1) occurred at quantifiable concentrations in all water samples. Sulfamethazine (2–50 ng L−1), erythromycin (10–66 ng L−1), diclofenac (2–160 ng L−1), and carbamazepine (5–72 ng L−1) were only quantifiable in water samples from Murchison Bay. The highest concentrations of pharmaceuticals were found in Murchison Bay, the main recipient of sewage effluents, industrial and municipal waste from Kampala city via the Nakivubo channel. Ecotoxicological risk assessment showed that sulfamethoxazole, oxytetracycline, erythromycin, and diclofenac pose a high toxic risk to aquatic organisms in the lake, while ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and ibuprofen pose a medium risk. This study is the first of its kind to report the levels and ecotoxic risks of pharmaceutical compounds in Lake Victoria waters, of Uganda, and East Africa as a whole.

KW - Chemistry

KW - East Africa

KW - Lake victoria

KW - Pharmaceuticals

KW - Risk assessment

KW - Surface water

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85072025185&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.124642

DO - 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.124642

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 31521936

AN - SCOPUS:85072025185

VL - 239

JO - Chemosphere

JF - Chemosphere

SN - 0045-6535

M1 - 124642

ER -