Factors Affecting Distribution of Pharmaceutically Active Compounds in Bottom Sediments of Odra River Estuary (SW Baltic Sea)

TL;DR

This study identifies clay minerals and solubility as key factors influencing how pharmaceutical compounds spread in the Odra River estuary sediments.

Contribution

The study reveals that physicochemical properties of pharmaceuticals, not proximity to pollution sources, mainly determine their spatial distribution in sediments.

Findings

Clay mineral content and total phosphorus are the main factors affecting the spatial distribution of PhACs in sediments.

More soluble pharmaceuticals with low adsorption affinity are transported farther from contamination sources.

PhAC distribution is not influenced by drug excretion rates, prescription frequency, or sales volume.

Abstract

The results from previous environmental studies on the physicochemical properties of bottom sediments from the Odra River estuary (SW Baltic Sea) and their contamination by pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) were compiled and analyzed by the use of various statistical methods (Principal Component Analysis, ANOVA/Kruskal–Wallis, Spearman correlation analysis, Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis, and Cluster Analysis). These studies included data on 130 PhACs determined in sediment samples collected from 70 sites across the Odra River estuary as well as the site distance to wastewater treatment plant discharge, PhACs’ physicochemical properties (Kd, Kow, pKa, solubility, metabolism), and sales data. Additionally, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, acid volatile sulfides, clay mineral content, and trace elements such as As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sn, and Zn were analyzed. Clay mineral content and TP were identified as the key physicochemical factors influencing the spatial distribution of PhACs in bottom sediments, exerting a greater impact than the distance of sampling sites from WWTP discharge points. The distribution of PhACs in the estuary was also influenced by the Kd and solubility of the compounds. More soluble pharmaceuticals with low adsorption affinity to sediments were detected more frequently and transported to distant locations, whereas less soluble compounds with high adsorption affinity settled down in bottom sediments near contamination sources. Neither the proportion of a drug excreted unchanged, nor its prescription frequency and sales volume, influenced the spatial distribution of PhACs. In general, Kd may be a useful parameter in the planning of environmental monitoring and tracing migration of PhACs in aquatic environments.

Figures