Spatial and seasonal variations of endocrine disrupting compounds in water and sediment samples of Markman Canal and Swartkops River Estuary, South Africa and their ecological risk assessment

Chinemerem Ruth Ohoro; Abiodun Olagoke Adeniji; Anthony Ifeanyi Okoh; Omobola Oluranti Okoh

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113012

Spatial and seasonal variations of endocrine disrupting compounds in water and sediment samples of Markman Canal and Swartkops River Estuary, South Africa and their ecological risk assessment

Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 Dec;173(Pt A):113012. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113012. Epub 2021 Oct 1.

Authors

Chinemerem Ruth Ohoro¹, Abiodun Olagoke Adeniji², Anthony Ifeanyi Okoh³, Omobola Oluranti Okoh⁴

Affiliations

¹ SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa; Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa. Electronic address: greatnemerem@yahoo.co.uk.
² SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa; Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, National University of Lesotho, P. O. Roma, 180, Lesotho.
³ SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa; Applied and Environmental Microbiology Research Group, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
⁴ SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa; Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa.

PMID: 34607130
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113012

Abstract

The presence of pharmaceuticals in surface water and sediment has sparked up a global concern, as they could cause harm to human health. In this study, we investigated five pharmaceuticals (caffeine, carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole, testosterone, and trimethoprim) in surface water and sediment samples from Swartkops River Estuary and Markman Stormwater Canal, in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) systems coupled with a hyphenated quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS) was used for the analysis. Of the five pharmaceuticals investigated, three were detected in sediment samples at concentrations ranging from BDL - 23.86 μg/kg (dw). Caffeine and sulfamethoxazole were below the detection limit. The finding of this current study suggests that Markman and Motherwell's stormwater canals were potential contributors to pollution in Swartkops River Estuary. Ecotoxicity risk assessment indicated that trimethoprim and carbamazepine could constitute potential risk to aquatic organisms in Markman Canal and Swartkops Estuary, suggesting the need for proper control measure to prevent the pollution from toxicants in aquatic resources.

Keywords: Contamination source; Correlation; Estuaries; Pharmaceuticals; Physicochemical parameters; Risk assessment.

MeSH terms

Environmental Monitoring
Estuaries
Humans
Risk Assessment
Rivers*
Seasons
South Africa
Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Water Pollutants, Chemical
Water