Residues of sulfonamides and their acetylated metabolites in the environment of aquaculture

This study documents the occurrence of sulfonamides (SA) and their acetylated metabolite compounds in an aquaculture environment in China. Five parent compounds of SAs and four metabolites were detected in fish water, surface water, and groundwater. The most relevant compounds in terms of frequency of detection and maximum concentrations detected were sulfamethoxazole and sulfachinoxalin in fish water and surface water, with average concentrations of 541 ng/L and 274 ng/L, respectively. The acetylated metabolites were detected at higher concentrations than their parent compounds in groundwater, although they were much lower than in the surface environment. The recent appearance of acetylated metabolites of SAs in groundwater samples demonstrates the environmental health concern and the need of further study