Pharmaceutical contamination in a Mediterranean coastal Lagoon: an indicator of complex interactions between societies and wetlands

Abstract

This field study assesses the occurrence of emerging contaminants (EC) of the Albufera Natural Park. This protected wetland has as an area of 21120 hectares and it is located 10 km to the South of Valencia City (Spain). It consists of a highly eutrophic coastal lagoon surrounded mainly by rice fields that occupy the primitive marshland. The Turia River, to the north, the Jucar River, to the South, and a network of irrigation channels bring fresh water to the Albufera system. The study was focus on about 30 compounds including Personal Care Products and Pharmaceutical Compounds, including acid, basic and neutral. The interest in detecting environmental contaminants in different matrices (mostly water, soil and sediment) is increasing in the last years. This for their relevant impact on the global ecosystem. The selected compounds, in this study, constitute an important block of organic contaminants frequently found for many reasons(2). The results evidenced the presence of many of the selected EC both in water and sediment. The most abundant ones are analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs (salicylic acid, diclofenac), antihypertensive (furosemide), anticoagulant (warfarin), stimulants (caffeine) and preservatives (parabens). The relation-ship between the presence of these compounds and the anthropic pressure in the area was carefully analysed