POCIS passive samplers as a monitoring tool for pharmaceutical residues and their transformation products in marine environment.

In the last years, several scientific studies have shown that carbamazepine (CBZ) is one of the most frequently detected pharmaceutical in aquatic environment. However, little data is available on its detection and its transformation products (TPs) in marine water. The use of polar organic chemical integrative sampling (POCIS) passive samplers as a semi-quantitative and qualitative tool for screening of pharmaceuticals and TPs in seawater has been studied. Furthermore, the uptake rates of the target compounds were also determined under laboratory experiments to characterize the levels accumulated in devices. The results confirmed the presence of residues of anticonvulsant CBZ as well as some of its main metabolites, over a 1-year monitoring campaign carried out in French coast on the Mediterranean Sea. The work reports for the first time the presence of two TPs (10,11-dihydro-10,11-trans-dihydroxycarbamazepine (TRANS) and 10-hydroxy-10,11-dihydrocarbamazepine (10OH)) in marine water. The results contribute in assessing the environmental and human health risk of pharmaceuticals on coastal areas.

In vivo exposure of marine mussels to carbamazepine and 10-hydroxy-10,11-dihydro-carbamazepine: Bioconcentration and metabolization.

Aquatic organisms are exposed to pharmaceuticals present in natural waters, but few data are available on the accumulation of these substances in such organisms. The present study evaluated the in vivo bioconcentration of two anticonvulsants--carbamazepine (CBZ) and 10-hydroxy-10,11-dihydro-carbamazepine (10 OH)--in marine mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) exposed to nominal 10 µg L(-1) concentrations for one week. The bioconcentration factors (BCFs) were 3.9 and 4.5 L kg(-1) dry weight (dw) for CBZ and 10 OH, respectively. CBZ accumulation reached an average tissue concentration of 29.3 ± 4.8 ng g(-1) dw, and 10 OH accumulated up to 40.9 ± 4.6 ng g(-1) dw in tissues within one week, showing first-order kinetics. BCF obtained with linear QSAR models correctly estimated the CBZ bioconcentration and overestimated the 10 OH bioconcentration to some extent. The detection of two metabolites (carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide and acridine) among the five sought suggested an active metabolism for CBZ. In contrast, none of the 10 OH metabolites were detected in mussels exposed to 10 OH. CBZ showed higher accumulation in the digestive gland, where some relevant metabolites were detected, than in other studied tissues. The implication of those findings on field biomonitoring is discussed.

Occurrence of venlafaxine residues and its metabolites in marine mussels at trace levels: development of analytical method and a monitoring program.

Coastal areas are subject to growing pressures and impacts because of the increase in human activities. Lipophilic organic contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), have been monitored for decades within monitoring programs. However, until now, little information on the detection of so-called "emerging contaminants" such as hydrophilic organic compounds in the marine environment and no data on its metabolites or transformation products in marine organisms is available. In this report, a sensitive analytical methodology for identification and confirmation of venlafaxine (VEN) residues and five of its main metabolites in the marine mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis was validated. The sample preparation procedure was based on the Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe (QuEChERS) approach. An analytical method was developed to quantify these compounds at trace levels by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry. The method was then applied to marine mussels collected from the Mediterranean Sea in southeastern France. Residues of the antidepressant VEN were occasionally detected at ng/g dw level. In addition, the approach allowed us to identify several transformation products in the analyzed samples. N-desmethylvenlafaxine (NDV) was the most frequently detected metabolite followed by N,O-di-desmethylvenlafaxine (NODDV).

Assessment of the environmental quality of French continental Mediterranean lagoons with oyster embryo bioassay.

In order to better understand environmental disturbances in the French coastal Mediterranean lagoons, we used an ecotoxicological approach based on the measurement of the toxicity of the sediments using oyster embryo bioassay that provides a basis for assessing the effects on the fauna of contaminants adsorbed on the sedimentary particles. The study covers all of the main lagoons of the French Mediterranean coasts of Languedoc Roussillon, Camargue, and Provence (Berre and Bolmon lagoons), where 188 stations were sampled. The toxicity tests provide evidence of variable levels of toxicity in sediments. Contaminated lagoons such as La peyrade, Le canet, and Ingrill and locally affected lagoons such as Bages-Sigean, Vaccares, Bolmon, and Berre have sampling stations with 100% of larval abnormalities during 24-h development. In all of the lagoons, the toxicity was mainly located close to local harbors and rivers. Salses Leucate (Languedoc roussillon) lagoon was found very clean, with no important toxicity. The results are discussed in terms of environmental disturbances of the coastal lagoons and with regard to the long-term monitoring of the impact of contaminants on the coastal environment.