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Uptake of Three Antibiotics and an Antiepileptic Drug by Wheat Crops Spray Irrigated with Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent
Author(s) -
Franklin Alison M.,
Williams Clinton F.,
Andrews Danielle M.,
Woodward Emily E.,
Watson John E.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq2015.05.0257
Subject(s) - effluent , wastewater , sewage treatment , environmental impact of pharmaceuticals and personal care products , straw , solid phase extraction , environmental science , sulfamethoxazole , trimethoprim , environmental chemistry , contamination , agronomy , chemistry , pulp and paper industry , extraction (chemistry) , biology , environmental engineering , chromatography , antibiotics , ecology , biochemistry , engineering
With rising demands on water supplies necessitating water reuse, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent is often used to irrigate agricultural lands. Emerging contaminants, like pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), are frequently found in effluent due to limited removal during WWTP processes. Concern has arisen about the environmental fate of PPCPs, especially regarding plant uptake. The aim of this study was to analyze uptake of sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, ofloxacin, and carbamazepine in wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) plants that were spray‐irrigated with WWTP effluent. Wheat was collected before and during harvest, and plants were divided into grain and straw. Subsamples were rinsed with methanol to remove compounds adhering to surfaces. All plant tissues underwent liquid–solid extraction, solid‐phase extraction cleanup, and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Residues of each compound were present on most plant surfaces. Ofloxacin was found throughout the plant, with higher concentrations in the straw (10.2 ± 7.05 ng g −1 ) and lower concentrations in the grain (2.28 ± 0.89 ng g −1 ). Trimethoprim was found only on grain or straw surfaces, whereas carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole were concentrated within the grain (1.88 ± 2.11 and 0.64 ± 0.37 ng g −1 , respectively). These findings demonstrate that PPCPs can be taken up into wheat plants and adhere to plant surfaces when WWTP effluent is spray‐irrigated. The presence of PPCPs within and on the surfaces of plants used as food sources raises the question of potential health risks for humans and animals. Core Ideas Wheat plants irrigated with WWTP effluent can take up certain pharmaceuticals. Wheat plant uptake of pharmaceuticals varies based on chemical characteristics. Pharmaceutical uptake in crops raises questions about low‐level exposures in humans.