Presence of estrogenic compounds and betablockers in influent and effluent of six wastewater treatment plants

This study is part of a national project, which aims at quantifying micropollutants in domestic waters (dissolved and solid phase) and evaluating the performance of different WWTP technologies. Investigated molecules include the 33 priority substances of the Water Framework Directive and pharmaceutics from several therapeutic groups. Between January 2007 and June 2008, 16 WWTP representative of the main conventional treatment plants found in France, will be studied. We will present the results obtained in the dissolved phase for 6 WWTP (mostly activated sludge process). Daily average samples were collected on the water treatment line (for 3 successive days) and on the sludge treatment line. We analysed 5 hormones, including conjugated forms (estrone, a and b-estradiol, estriol and ethynilestradiol) and 10 betablockers (oxprenolol, metoprolol, timolol, propranolol, nadolol, betaxolol, bisoprolol, acebutolol, atenolol, and sotalol). The analysis of hormones consists in a solid phase extraction (Oasis HLB cartridge), a purification with florisil and an analysis by LC-MS/MS. For betablockers, the extraction is performed on MCX cartridge and followed by LC-MS/MS analysis. The synthetic hormone, ethynilestradiol, was never detected. Estriol showed the highest hormone concentrations in influents (50 to 400 ng/L), but was below detection level in effluents. Total hormone concentrations were generally below 14 ng/L in effluents. Three betablockers were rarely detected either in influent or in effluent: timolol, oxprenolol and betaxolol. All other betablockers were generally present and their concentration could reach more than 2000 ng/L in influent and 1000 ng/l in effluent. The comparison of concentrations measured in dissolved phase of influents and effluents showed that elimination is more efficient for sotalol, atenolol and propranolol than for acebutolol and nadolol.