This study investigates the presence of the different classes of micro-pollutants such as pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) (20 antibiotics, 8 analgesics and anti-inflammatories, 5 cytostatic agents, 7 β-blockers, 4 lipid regulators, 13 psychiatrics, 1 antidiabetic, 1 receptor antagonist, 1 local anaesthetic, 1 antihypertensive and their 5 metabolites), hormones (8 compounds), X-ray contrast agents (6 compounds), benzotriazoles (3 compounds) and pesticides (6 compounds), and antibiotic resistance in hospital wastewater (HWW) of a medical faculty in Istanbul, Turkey. In addition, the seasonal variations of the selected PhACs and X-ray contrast agents and antibiotic resistance were evaluated for 2 years in a total of eight samples. In the PhACs, sulfamethoxazole and its metabolite (4 N-acethyl-sulfamethoxazole) in the antibiotic group and paracetamol in the analgesic and anti-inflammatory group were found at 100% of frequency and the highest concentrations as 35, 43 and 210 μg/L, respectively. The mean concentrations of psychiatric compounds were found less than 0.25 μg/L except carbamazepine (1.36 μg/L). Bisphenol A in hormone group had the highest concentration up to 14 μg/L. In the hormone group compounds, 17-α-Ethinylestradiol and 17-β-Estradiol were detected at lower mean concentrations of 0.2 and 0.05 μg/L, respectively. 1H-benzotriazole had the highest concentration with the mean concentration of 24.8 μg/L in benzotriazole group compounds. The compounds in X-ray contrast agents group were noted as compounds detected at the highest concentration in HWW up to 3000 μg/L. Antibiotic resistance against azithromycin, clindamycin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole antibiotics was observed around 50% in the winter period. The seasonal variation was detected for the most of the investigated PhACs, especially in antibiotic group which was in line with those significant differences in antibiotic resistance rates in the studied antibiotics between winter and summer seasons.
Keywords: Antibiotic resistance; Characterization; Hospital wastewater; Micro-pollutants; Seasonal variation.