CHARACTERIZATION OF EMERGING CONTAMINANTS IN SURFACE WATERBODIES AT ROORKEE

Abstract

Pharmaceutical compounds became an important class of water pollutants due to their increasing consumption over the last years, as well as due to their persistence in the environment. Water pollution with pharmaceutical compounds is regarded as a serious environmental problem, despite their minute concentrations, due to detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems and uncertainty regarding the effects on human health. A study was undertaken to detect the concentrations of frequently occurred ten pharmaceutical compounds viz. paracetamol, ibuprofen, aspirin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, naproxin, sulphamethoxazole, propranolol and diclofenac sodium in Ganga canal and in ground water of four different sites at Roorkee. Seasonal Variations of these selected pharmaceuticals were also analyzed for Ganga canal at Roorkee. To analyze the concentrations of selected pharmaceuticals sampling was done at fifteen different sites from Haridwar to Roorkee where drains are directly discharged into canal. These collected samples were analyzed by GC-MS after solid phase extraction in HLB cartridges. Efficiency of cartridges used were found in the range of 75.7 % - 90.2 %. The concentrations of the selected pharmaceuticals were found in nglL to tgIL range. Maximum concentration of2.3 i.gIL was found for paracetamol at Bhimgoda barrage (Haridwar) site due to its high consumption. Total concentration of selected pharmaceuticals in Ganga canal at Roorkee were found to be minimum during monsoon season due to more dilution and maximum during winter season due to lesser flow. Mean flow of water in Ganga canal was 2 10 m3/sec during monsoon period and 170 m3/sec during winters. No pharmaceutical was detected in collected ground water samples from old Roorkee and lIT campus. Small concentrations of some pharmaceuticals were found in ground water sample collected near Ganga canal.