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Distribution of six anticancer drugs and a variety of other pharmaceuticals, and their sorption onto sediments, in an urban Japanese river

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Abstract

The distributions of 31 pharmaceuticals grouped into nine therapeutic classes, including six anticancer drugs, were investigated in the waters and sediments of an urban river in Japan. The coefficients of sorption (logK d) to the river sediments were also determined from the results of a field survey and laboratory-scale experiment. Three anticancer drugs—bicalutamide, doxifluridine, and tamoxifen—were detected in the river sediments at maximum concentrations of 391, 392, and 250 ng/kg, respectively. In addition, the transformation products of psychotropic carbamazepine (2-hydroxy carbamazepine, acridine, and acridone) were detected in the range of 108 ng/kg (2-hydroxy carbamazepine) to 2365 ng/kg (acridine), and the phytoestrogen glycitein was detected in the range of N.D. to 821 ng/kg. The logK d values of the targeted pharmaceuticals in river sediments in the field survey ranged from 0.5 (theophylline) to 3.3 (azithromycin). These results were in accord with those of the laboratory-scale sorption experiment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the detection of the anticancer drugs bicalutamide and tamoxifen, the transformation products of carbamazepine (2-hydroxy carbamazepine, acridine, and acridone), and the phytoestrogen genistein in river sediments.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the staff of the STPs for sampling the water. We also acknowledge the River Foundation and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan for funding in the form of research grants and scholarships.

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  1. Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 4–20–1 Nasahara, Takatsuki, Osaka, 569-1094, Japan

    Takashi Azuma, Natsumi Arima, Ai Tsukada, Satoru Hirami, Rie Matsuoka, Ryogo Moriwake, Hirotaka Ishiuchi, Tomomi Inoyama, Yusuke Teranishi, Misato Yamaoka, Mao Ishida, Kanae Hisamatsu, Ayami Yunoki & Yoshiki Mino

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  1. Takashi Azuma
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  2. Natsumi Arima
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Correspondence to Takashi Azuma.

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Azuma, T., Arima, N., Tsukada, A. et al. Distribution of six anticancer drugs and a variety of other pharmaceuticals, and their sorption onto sediments, in an urban Japanese river. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 19021–19030 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9525-0

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