Determination of clofibric acid and N-(phenylsulfonyl)-sarcosine in sewage, river and drinking water

Two polar compounds, the drug metabolite clofibric acid (2-(4)-chlorophenoxy-2-methyl propionic acid) and N-(phenylsulfonyl)-sarcosine, were detected as organic contaminants in groundwater samples from sewage farm areas near Berlin at maximum concentrations of 4 mu g/l and 150 mu g/l, respectively. Contaminations by these two compounds were also found in most of the drinking water samples collected from the 14 waterworks in the Berlin area. The maximum concentrations in drinking water samples were 270 ng/l for clofibric acid and 105 ng/l for N-(phenylsulfonyl)-sarcosine. The analytical results obtained correlate well with the percentage values of artificial groundwater enrichment and bank filtrate used by any particular water treatment plant in drinking water production. Thus, it can be assumed that both polar contaminants commonly leach into drinking water and are not eliminated by the drinking water treatment used by the Berlin waterworks. Positive findings in screening analyses of surface water samples outside Berlin as, for example, the river Danube in Germany and the river Po in Italy indicate that the occurrence of clofibric acid and N-(phenylsulfonyl)-sarcosine in environmental water samples is not just a local phenomenon.