national reconnaissance for selected organic micropollutants in sediments on French territory

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2014-10, Vol.21 (19), p.11370-11379
• Main Authors: Vulliet, Emmanuelle, Berlioz-Barbier, Alexandra, Lafay, Florent, Baudot, Robert, Wiest, Laure, Vauchez, Antoine, Lestremau, François, Botta, Fabrizio, Cren-Olivé, Cécile
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acids; Alkylphenols; Analytical chemistry; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Benzhydryl Compounds - analysis; Bisphenol A; Carbamazepine; Chemical Sciences; Chromatography; Chromatography, Liquid - methods; Contaminated sediments; data collection; drugs; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental science; France; Gas chromatography; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry - methods; Geologic Sediments - analysis; Hormones; Liquid chromatography; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Metabolites; Micropollutants; monitoring; national surveys; Organic contaminants; Pesticides; Pesticides - analysis; Pharmaceutical Preparations - analysis; Phenols - analysis; Pollutants; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis; Research Article; Sample preparation; Scientific imaging; Sediments; Studies; Sunscreens; Tandem Mass Spectrometry - methods; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-3089-z

To collect a large data set regarding the occurrence of organic substances in sediment, this study presents the examination of 20 micropollutants, as a national survey. The list of target compounds contains two alkylphenols, three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) not commonly included in monitoring programmes, six pesticides or metabolites, five pharmaceutical compounds, two hormones, one UV filter and bisphenol A. The selective and sensitive analytical methods, based on quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) sample preparation followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) or gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-ToF-MS), allow the quantification at limits comprised between 0.5 and 23 ng/g, depending on the compound. The paper summarizes the analytical results from 154 sampling points. Of the 20 target compounds, 9 were determined at least once, and the sediments contained a maximum of 7 substances. The most frequently detected were PAHs (frequency, 77 %; max., 1,400 ng/g). The pharmaceutical compounds, hormones and pesticides were rarely detected in the samples; the most frequently detected was carbamazepine (frequency, 6 %; max., 31 ng/g). In some cases, the levels of PAHs and bisphenol A exceed the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) values.