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Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and UV filters in swimming pools and spas

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Abstract

The occurrence of 32 pharmaceuticals and 14 UV filters in swimming pools and spas was studied. Fifty-one water samples were collected from 17 pools located in sport centres and hotels in Catalonia, Spain. The samples were analysed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The pharmaceuticals atenolol, carbamazepine, hydrochlorothiazide, metronidazole, ofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, ketoprofen and phenazone were measured in water samples at concentrations higher than their limit of quantification (LOQ). The highest concentration of any individual pharmaceutical was measured for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (904 ng/L). The most frequently detected pharmaceutical was carbamazepine, as it was observed in more than half of all the water samples measured (53 %, 27/51). The UV filters at concentrations higher than LOQ in water samples were BP1, BP2, BP3, BP8, THB, 4DHB, 4MBC, OD-PABA, 1HBT, MeBT and DMeBT. The highest concentration of UV filter observed was 4MBC (69.3 ng/L) while the most frequent UV filters in the samples were 1HBT (59 %, 30/51). The results also showed that pharmaceuticals and UV filters were most frequently found in spas. Finally, from a water treatment technology perspective, the lowest occurrence of pharmaceuticals was in the pools applying sand filters followed by disinfection by sodium hypochlorite, while the lowest occurrence of UV filters was in the pools applying coagulation, sand filtration, UV and salt electrolysis.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support from the Economy and Knowledge Department of the Catalan Government through a Consolidated Research Groups (2014 SGR 418 and 2014 SGR 291). Gianluigi Buttiglieri acknowledges the Ramon y Cajal research fellowship (RYC-2014-16754) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The authors would like to thank Sara Gabarron and Àlex Sánchez for their assistance in sample preparation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, Westvest 7, 2611, AX, Delft, Netherlands

    Yuli Ekowati, Giuliana Ferrero & Maria D. Kennedy

  2. Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona, H2O Building, c/Emili Grahit 101, E17003, Girona, Spain

    Gianluigi Buttiglieri, Damià Barceló, Mira Petrovic, Marta Villagrasa & Ignasi Rodríguez-Roda

  3. Water and Soil Quality Group, Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Jordi Girona 18-26, E-08034, Barcelona, Spain

    Jennifer Valle-Sistac, M. Silvía Diaz-Cruz & Damià Barceló

  4. Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain

    Mira Petrovic

  5. Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628, CN, Delft, Netherlands

    Maria D. Kennedy

  6. Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (LEQUIA), Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, E17071, Girona, Spain

    Ignasi Rodríguez-Roda

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  1. Yuli Ekowati
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  2. Gianluigi Buttiglieri
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  3. Giuliana Ferrero
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  5. M. Silvía Diaz-Cruz
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  10. Ignasi Rodríguez-Roda
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Correspondence to Giuliana Ferrero.

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Ekowati, Y., Buttiglieri, G., Ferrero, G. et al. Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and UV filters in swimming pools and spas. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 14431–14441 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6560-1

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