Analysis of llicit and illicit drugs in waste, surface and lake water samples using large volume direct injection high performance liquid chromatography - Electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS)

Llicit and illicit drugs represent a recent group of emerging contaminants and have been found in the aquatic environment A HPLC-MS/MS method was developed using direct injection (DI) of larger volumes and a polar endcapped reversed-phase (RP) column to measure drug components in water samples belonging to the cocaine group opiates amphetamine-like stimulants and metabolites thereof After validation including sensitivity linearity recovery precision and matrix effect studies most drugs could be detected with limits of quantitation (LOQ) of 20 ng L-1 in wastewater (WW) and 0 2 ng L-1 in surface water The major substances found in influents and effluents were cocaine (COC) benzoylecgonine (BE) morphine (MO) methadone (MD) and its main metabolite 2 ethylidene-1 5-dimethyl 3 3-diphenyl-pyrrolidine (EDDP) with concentrations up to 2 mu g L-1 followed by codeine (COD) and the amphetamines which ranged between 20 and 400 ng L-1 Except for MO COD and EDDP levels were generally lower in the effluents River and lake water contained trace amounts of mainly BE MD and EDDP from the high pg L-1 to the low ng L-1 level Monitoring COC and BE levels over 11 consecutive days in influents and effluents suggests a consumption preference on week-end days Finally measuring an influent after a major music event revealed that sewage treatment plants (STPs) are exposed for a limited period of time to high concentration peaks of COC and BE as well as amphetamine like stimulants such as ecstasy (MDMA) (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved