Screening of benzodiazepines in thirty European rivers
Pharmaceuticals as environmental contaminants have received a lot of interest over the past decade but,
for several pharmaceuticals, relatively little is known about their occurrence in European surface waters.
Benzodiazepines, a class of pharmaceuticals with anxiolytic properties, have received interest due to
their behavioral modifying effect on exposed biota. In this study, our results show the presence of one or
more benzodiazepine(s) in 86% of the analyzed surface water samples (n ¼ 138) from 30 rivers, representing
seven larger European catchments. Of the 13 benzodiazepines included in the study, we detected
9, which together showed median and mean concentrations (of the results above limit of quantification)
of 5.4 and 9.6 ng L1, respectively. Four benzodiazepines (oxazepam, temazepam, clobazam, and bromazepam)
were the most commonly detected. In particular, oxazepam had the highest frequency of
detection (85%) and a maximum concentration of 61 ng L1. Temazepam and clobazam were found in
26% (maximum concentration of 39 ng L1) and 14% (maximum concentration of 11 ng L1) of the
samples analyzed, respectively. Finally, bromazepam was found only in Germany and in 16 out of total
138 samples (12%), with a maximum concentration of 320 ng L1. This study clearly shows that benzodiazepines
are common micro-contaminants of the largest European river systems at ng L1 levels.
Although these concentrations are more than a magnitude lower than those reported to have effective effects on exposed biota, environmental effects cannot be excluded considering the possibility of additive
and sub-lethal effects.
FICK Jerker;
BRODIN Tomas;
HEYNEN Martina;
KLAMINDER Jonatan;
JONSSON Micael;
GRABICOVÁ Kateřina;
RANDÁK Tomáš;
GRABIC Roman;
KODEŠ Vit;
SLOBODNIK Jaroslav;
SWEETMAN Andrew;
EARNSHAW Marc;
BARRA CARACCIOLO Anna;
LETTIERI Teresa;
LOOS Robert;
2017-08-01
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
JRC94987
0045-6535,
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653517303156?via%3Dihub,
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC94987,
10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.02.126,
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