Occurrence of persistent and mobile chemicals and other contaminants of emerging concern in Spanish and Portuguese wastewater treatment plants, transnational river basins and coastal water

• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163737
• Publication Date: 2023-05-03T05:53:23Z
• Authors: Rosa Montes; Sandra Méndez; Julio Cobas; Nieves Carro; Teresa Neuparth; Nelson Alves; Miguel M. Santos; José Benito Quintana; Rosario Rodil
• Keywords: Water Framework Directive; Perfluorooctanoic acid

This work investigated, during one year, the occurrence and fate of 52 contaminants emerging concern (CECs) in transnational river basins coastal areas North Portugal Galicia (NW Spain) wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) discharging on these environments. The different CECs investigated included pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial chemicals, among others, which ca. 90 % would fulfill persistence, mobility toxicity criteria proposed by German Environmental Agency. results showed ubiquitous presence an incomplete removal over 60 them with current conventional WWTPs. These findings highlight requirement a prominent coordinated upgrade WWTP treatments order to meet future European Union regulations urban surface water quality. In fact, even some compounds exhibiting high removals, such as caffeine or xylene sulfonate, were frequently detected estuarine waters at ng L-1 level. Thus, our preliminary risk assessment study concluded that 18 presented potential for environment, being caffeine, sulpiride, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), diclofenac, fipronil perfluorobutanoic (PFBA) most concerning ones. Yet, additional data well more robust information persistence are necessary better estimating magnitude problem improve assessment. As example, case antidiabetic metformin, recent research has revealed model fish species concentration levels below those found 40 samples analyzed this work.