Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products in the SomeŞ River Basin, Romania

p>Abstract. The mass flows of selected pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) were studied in the aqueous compartment of the river Someş in Romania. PPCPs distribution was correlated with wastewater treatment plant effluents in the receiving river water. Carbamazepine, pentoxyfylline, ibuprofen, diazepam, galaxolide, tonalide and triclosan were determined in wastewater effluents with individual concentrations up to 800 ng/L. Caffeine was measured at concentrations up to 43 000 ng/L. Due to the high contamination of WWTP effluents, the receiving river was also polluted. The most abundant PPCPs measured in the Someş were caffeine, galaxolide, carbamazepine and triclosan, with concentrations ranging from 10 to 400 ng/L. The loads increased significantly after the confluence of the river Somesul Mic with the river Someşul Mare after Dej. The highest loads were observed for caffeine (800ndash;2400 g/d), galaxolide (410ndash;860 g/d), triclosan (200ndash;310 g/d) and carbamazepine (170ndash;240 g/d) suggesting the discharge of wastewater without proper treatment into the Someş. These results show that the upgrading of the WWTPs in the River Basin is of high importance to reduce the effluent load of contaminants into the Someş. This study is a first overview of PPCPs along the Romanian stretch of the Someş River./p