Potential synergies of pharmaceuticals and heavy metals in waters and soils of L'Albufera Natural Park (Valencia, Spain)

Trabajo presentado en NET-SCARCE International Conference, celebrada en Barcelona (España) del 15 al 16 de noviembre de 2016One of the most important traces of human develop1nent in the different environmenta] media is the apparition of residues of products of habitual human consumption and or development. Among these substances, the presence of pharn1aceuticals and heavy metals have becoming an increasing problem for environmental sustainability, and for human health, with consequences in many cases very scarcely known. The effects of ali these compounds are magnified in the wetlands that are very fragile areas. This work has been developed in the Natural Park of La Albufera (Valencia, Spain), one of the most important marshland of Europe, included in the RAMSAR agreement. However, it suffers impacts derived from the high human and industrial occupation, and of the hydrological contribut ions from the connected irrigation systems. It includes a coastal lagoon, 1narshlands, sand dunes and pinewoods, surrounded by rice fields in its not urbanized part. In the Natural Park area, 20 sampling zones were selected to deter111ine the degree of pharmaceuticals and heavy metals incidence in waters and soils. Total concentrations of 17 pharmaceuticals, covering the most frequently used classes (anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, etc) and 7 heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were evaluated. Standard analytical methods were used to measure soil physical and chemical properties. The simultaneous determination of phar111aceuticals by solid Phase Extraction (SPE) in the case of water samples and Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE) and SPE for soils, extracts were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), using both, positive and negative ionization with an ESI interface. Total content of seven heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in the soil and water samples were extracted by microwave acid digestion and determined by ICP-OES. The presence of phamaceuticals in soils (5 contaminated samples) was more sporadic than in water (100 % of samples contain pharmaceuticals), probably because they are not in pertnanent contact. A positive correlation between samples of water, soil and sediment was observed, so that the sampling point with more contaminated soil presents also the most contaminated water and sediment. Higher levels and frequency of phar111aceuticals appears in the north area of the lagoon, which is justified by a larger concentration of population. Zn, Cr and Cu show the highest concentrations in all land uses and zones. Cr is the metal that present maximum concentration in the studied area (254.93 ppm), being almost the only metal studied that exceeds the limits established by the Spanish an EU legislation. This study shows that inside the Natural Park, the northem zone is the most contaminated one in ali cases. In this zone, the sampling points closer to the coast, at the northem part, are those that present higher concentrations of metals and phar1naceuticals. Sorne interactions among heavy metals and pharmaceutical have been found.This work has been supported by by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the projects CGL2015-64454-C2-2-RPeer reviewe