Human pharmaceutical surface water pollution across urban gradients in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region, Argentina
Human active pharmaceutical ingredients (HAPIs) are micropollutants of emerging concern for aquatic ecosystems. Adequate access to health systems combined with poor sewerage connectivity and inadequate wastewater treatment plants has placed developing countries among the most vulnerable scenarios re...
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| Format: | Artículo |
| Language: | Inglés |
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Oxford University Press
2025
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/23829 https://academic.oup.com/etc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/etojnl/vgaf181/8205749 https://doi.org/10.1093/etojnl/vgaf181 |
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| author | Perez, Daniela Edith Rojo, Macarena Cristos, Diego Sebastian Carriquiriborde, Pedro |
| author_browse | Carriquiriborde, Pedro Cristos, Diego Sebastian Perez, Daniela Edith Rojo, Macarena |
| author_facet | Perez, Daniela Edith Rojo, Macarena Cristos, Diego Sebastian Carriquiriborde, Pedro |
| author_sort | Perez, Daniela Edith |
| collection | INTA Digital |
| description | Human active pharmaceutical ingredients (HAPIs) are micropollutants of emerging concern for aquatic ecosystems. Adequate access to health systems combined with poor sewerage connectivity and inadequate wastewater treatment plants has placed developing countries among the most vulnerable scenarios regarding HAPI water pollution. However, field data to better understand this phenomenon is still insufficient for large metropolises of South America. This study aimed to evaluate, in two contrasting seasons of the year, the occurrence of 16 highly prescribed HAPIs in 26 sites distributed along urban gradients of seven watersheds of the Rio de la Plata estuary southern plain within the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region. Owing to their average annual concentrations and frequencies, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, carbamazepine, atenolol, enalapril, metformin, and sildenafil were the dominant HAPIs. Total HAPI concentrations and numbers significantly increased as the watercourses ran into more intensely populated areas. Sampling sites within urban conglomerates receiving wastewater treatent plant discharge displayed higher HAPI concentrations and numbers, demonstrating the inefficacy of current plants in eliminating these substances. Sampling sites within urban conglomerates without official discharge also showed high HAPI concentrations and numbers, indicating “straight-piping” and septic tank leaks as significant pollution sources. Detecting some HAPIs in rural sites would indicate that other minor sources (e.g., veterinary uses or atmospheric deposition) are also contributing. Shifts in HAPI frequencies and concentrations around the overall medians were a better indicator of seasonal variations than the absolute values affected by hydrological conditions. This study enhances understanding of the relationship between urbanization and HAPI surface water pollution in a major metropolitan area of South America, offering valuable data for future HAPI aquatic ecological risk assessments in the region. |
| format | Artículo |
| id | INTA23829 |
| institution | Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press |
| publisherStr | Oxford University Press |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | INTA238292025-09-17T12:45:31Z Human pharmaceutical surface water pollution across urban gradients in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region, Argentina Perez, Daniela Edith Rojo, Macarena Cristos, Diego Sebastian Carriquiriborde, Pedro South America Emerging Contaminants Seasonal Variation Pharmaceutical Pollution América del Sur Argentina Contaminante Emergente Variación Estacional Contaminación Farmacéutica Hydrological Basins Metropolitan Region Unplanned Urbanization Cuencas Hidrológicas Región Metropolitana Urbanización no Planificada Human active pharmaceutical ingredients (HAPIs) are micropollutants of emerging concern for aquatic ecosystems. Adequate access to health systems combined with poor sewerage connectivity and inadequate wastewater treatment plants has placed developing countries among the most vulnerable scenarios regarding HAPI water pollution. However, field data to better understand this phenomenon is still insufficient for large metropolises of South America. This study aimed to evaluate, in two contrasting seasons of the year, the occurrence of 16 highly prescribed HAPIs in 26 sites distributed along urban gradients of seven watersheds of the Rio de la Plata estuary southern plain within the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region. Owing to their average annual concentrations and frequencies, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, carbamazepine, atenolol, enalapril, metformin, and sildenafil were the dominant HAPIs. Total HAPI concentrations and numbers significantly increased as the watercourses ran into more intensely populated areas. Sampling sites within urban conglomerates receiving wastewater treatent plant discharge displayed higher HAPI concentrations and numbers, demonstrating the inefficacy of current plants in eliminating these substances. Sampling sites within urban conglomerates without official discharge also showed high HAPI concentrations and numbers, indicating “straight-piping” and septic tank leaks as significant pollution sources. Detecting some HAPIs in rural sites would indicate that other minor sources (e.g., veterinary uses or atmospheric deposition) are also contributing. Shifts in HAPI frequencies and concentrations around the overall medians were a better indicator of seasonal variations than the absolute values affected by hydrological conditions. This study enhances understanding of the relationship between urbanization and HAPI surface water pollution in a major metropolitan area of South America, offering valuable data for future HAPI aquatic ecological risk assessments in the region. Los ingredientes farmacéuticos activos humanos (HAPIs) son microcontaminantes de creciente preocupación para los ecosistemas acuáticos. El acceso adecuado a los sistemas de salud, combinado con la mala conectividad del alcantarillado y las plantas de tratamiento de aguas residuales inadecuadas, ha colocado a los países en desarrollo entre los escenarios más vulnerables con respecto a la contaminación del agua por HAPI. Sin embargo, los datos de campo para comprender mejor este fenómeno aún son insuficientes para las grandes metrópolis de América del Sur. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar, en dos estaciones contrastantes del año, la presencia de 16 HAPIs altamente prescritos en 26 sitios distribuidos a lo largo de gradientes urbanos de siete cuencas hidrográficas de la llanura sur del estuario del Río de la Plata dentro de la Región Metropolitana de Buenos Aires. Debido a sus concentraciones y frecuencias anuales promedio, acetaminofén, ibuprofeno, carbamazepina, atenolol, enalapril, metformina y sildenafil fueron los HAPIs dominantes. Las concentraciones y números totales de HAPI aumentaron significativamente a medida que los cursos de agua desembocaban en áreas más densamente pobladas. Los sitios de muestreo dentro de conglomerados urbanos que reciben descargas de plantas de tratamiento de aguas residuales mostraron concentraciones y números más altos de HAPI, lo que demuestra la ineficacia de las plantas actuales para eliminar estas sustancias. Los sitios de muestreo dentro de conglomerados urbanos sin descarga oficial también mostraron altas concentraciones y cantidades de HAPI, lo que indica que las tuberías de drenaje y las fugas de fosas sépticas son fuentes importantes de contaminación. La detección de algunos HAPI en zonas rurales indicaría que otras fuentes menores (p. ej., usos veterinarios o deposición atmosférica) también contribuyen. Los cambios en las frecuencias y concentraciones de HAPI alrededor de las medianas generales fueron un mejor indicador de las variaciones estacionales que los valores absolutos afectados por las condiciones hidrológicas. Este estudio mejora la comprensión de la relación entre la urbanización y la contaminación de las aguas superficiales por HAPI en una importante área metropolitana de Sudamérica, ofreciendo datos valiosos para futuras evaluaciones de riesgos ecológicos acuáticos por HAPI en la región. Instituto de Investigación Tecnología de Alimentos (ITA) Fil: Perez, Daniela Edith. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones del Medioambiente; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones del Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Rojo, Macarena. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones del Medioambiente; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones del Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Cristos, Diego Sebastian. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Investigación Tecnología de Alimentos; Argentina. Fil: Carriquiriborde, Pedro. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones del Medioambiente; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones del Medioambiente; Argentina. 2025-09-17T12:12:28Z 2025-09-17T12:12:28Z 2025-07-17 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/23829 https://academic.oup.com/etc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/etojnl/vgaf181/8205749 1552-8618 (Online) 0730-7268 (Print) https://doi.org/10.1093/etojnl/vgaf181 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Buenos Aires .......... (province) (World, South America, Argentina) 1001160 Oxford University Press Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry : vgaf181. (July 2025). |
| spellingShingle | South America Emerging Contaminants Seasonal Variation Pharmaceutical Pollution América del Sur Argentina Contaminante Emergente Variación Estacional Contaminación Farmacéutica Hydrological Basins Metropolitan Region Unplanned Urbanization Cuencas Hidrológicas Región Metropolitana Urbanización no Planificada Perez, Daniela Edith Rojo, Macarena Cristos, Diego Sebastian Carriquiriborde, Pedro Human pharmaceutical surface water pollution across urban gradients in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region, Argentina |
| title | Human pharmaceutical surface water pollution across urban gradients in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region, Argentina |
| title_full | Human pharmaceutical surface water pollution across urban gradients in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region, Argentina |
| title_fullStr | Human pharmaceutical surface water pollution across urban gradients in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region, Argentina |
| title_full_unstemmed | Human pharmaceutical surface water pollution across urban gradients in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region, Argentina |
| title_short | Human pharmaceutical surface water pollution across urban gradients in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region, Argentina |
| title_sort | human pharmaceutical surface water pollution across urban gradients in the buenos aires metropolitan region argentina |
| topic | South America Emerging Contaminants Seasonal Variation Pharmaceutical Pollution América del Sur Argentina Contaminante Emergente Variación Estacional Contaminación Farmacéutica Hydrological Basins Metropolitan Region Unplanned Urbanization Cuencas Hidrológicas Región Metropolitana Urbanización no Planificada |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/23829 https://academic.oup.com/etc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/etojnl/vgaf181/8205749 https://doi.org/10.1093/etojnl/vgaf181 |
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