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The persistent appearance of antibiotic residues in the aquatic ecosystem is considered an issue of great concern. This study examined the adsorptive efficiency of a novel bionanocomposite (L-methionine/stevensite, MET/ST) for promising decontamination of nine antibiotics. Results revealed that MET/ST allows an excellent antibiotic removal efficiency, from 87% for trimethoprim (TMP) to almost 100% for the eight remaining antibiotics, at neutral pH, an adsorbent dose of 2 g/L, and 1.5 mg/L of the antibiotics mixture. Equilibrium was achieved in less than 1 min, except for TMP (30 min), and the kinetics was consistent with the pseudo-second order model (R² > 0.927). The isotherm data were fitted with the Langmuir and Freundlich models (R² > 0.960) (qmax from 21.48 to 28168 mg/g for TMP and chlortetracycline, respectively). The high surface area (170.49 m²/g) and pore volume (0.16 cm³/g) of MET/ST, together with electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions, played a dominant role in antibiotic adsorption. TMP was the only antibiotic affected by temperature (from 61% to 85% at 5 and 45ºC) and salinity (from 87% to 37% at 0 and 4% w/v of NaCl). The MET/ST was used consecutively for at least four adsorption–desorption cycles after being regenerated with a capacity > 97% in the last cycle for 7 out of 9 antibiotics. In addition to its adsorption capacity, reusability and low-cost features, the material demonstrated an excellent efficiency (up to 69% for TMP and 100% for other antibiotics) in wastewater and surface water samples denoting a great application for water purification.

Microplastic (MP) contamination is in the spotlight today, yet knowledge of their interaction with other organic contaminants in the soil environment is limited. Concerns extend to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), known for their potential to interfere with the hormonal systems of organisms and for their persistence and widespread presence in the environment. In this study, the most frequently occurring EDCs were monitored both in alluvial soil and in soil contaminated with different MPs commonly found in soil media, polyethylene, polyamide, and polystyrene. Bisphenol A and parabens were the most rapidly dissipating compounds, followed by triclosan and triclocarban, with the latter showing poor degradation. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) showed high persistence as concentrations remained nearly constant throughout the experiment. Although they fitted well with first-order dissipation kinetics, most showed biphasic behavior. The co-occurrence of MPs in the soil influenced the kinetic behavior in most cases although the differences were not very marked. MPs could impact sorption-desorption processes, affecting contaminant mobility and bioavailability to organisms in soil. These findings strengthen evidence for the influence of MPs on the behavior of soil contaminants such as EDCs, not only as vectors or sources of contaminants but by affecting dissipation kinetics.

Microplastics (MP) and antibiotics coexist in the environment and their combined exposure represents a source of increasing concern. MP may act as carriers of antibiotics because of their sorption capacity. Knowledge of the interactions between them may help improve understanding of their migration and transformation. In this work, the adsorption behaviour of a group of sulfonamides and their acetylated metabolites on different sizes of polyamide (PA) and polystyrene (PS) MP were investigated and compared. Sulfonamides were adsorbed on both MP (qmax up to 0.699 and 0.184 mg/g, for PA and PS, respectively) fitting to a linear isotherm model (R2 > 0.835). A low particle size and an acidic and salinity medium significantly enhances the adsorption capacity of sulfonamides (i.e. removal of sulfamethoxazole increased from 8 % onto 3 mm PA pellets to 80 % onto 50 mm of PA pellets). According to characterization results, adsorption mechanism is explained by pore filling and hydrogen bonds (for PA) and hydrophobic interactions (for PS). After adsorption, surface area was increased in both MP as result of a potential ageing of the particles and the intensity of XRD peaks was higher denoting a MP structure more amorphized. Metabolites were adsorbed more efficiently than their parent compounds on PS while the opposite effect was observed on PA explained by the acetylation of the amine group and, subsequently the reduction of hydrogen bond interactions. Although the dissolved organic matter inhibits sulfonamides adsorption, removal up to 65.2 % in effluent wastewater and up to 72.1 % in surface water were observed in experiments using real matrices denoting the role of MP as vectors of sulfonamide antibiotics in aquatic media.

Microplastics (MPs) and antibiotics are emerging pollutants widely found in aquatic environments, potentially causing environmental harm. MPs may act as carriers for antibiotics, affecting their environmental distribution. This study investigates the adsorption of four macrolide antibiotics and a metabolite onto two types of MPs: polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene (PE). Results revealed a linear isotherm adsorption model, with higher adsorption to PET than to PE (R² > 0.936 for PE and R² > 0.910 for PET). Hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding could be the main adsorption mechanisms, with pore filling potentially involved. Reduced particle size enhances adsorption due to the increase of active adsorption sites. This increasement is more pronounced in PE than in PET, leading to an 11.6% increase in the average adsorption of all macrolides to PE, compared to only 5.1% to PET. Dissolved organic matter inhibits adsorption (azithromycin adsorption to PE was reduced from 12% to 5.1%), while salinity enhances it just until 1% salinity. pH slightly influences adsorption, with maximal adsorption at neutral pH. Results in real samples showed that complexity of the matrix decreased adsorption. Overall, these findings indicate that PE and PET MPs can be a vector of macrolides in aquatic environments.

Fluoroquinolones are antibiotics of significant environmental concern their extended use not only in human medicine but also in veterinary medicine and not only as therapeutic agents but also to promote livestock growth and in aquaculture. Some fluoroquinolones and their metabolites are chiral compounds. Therefore, for a proper environmental risk assessment, enantioselective analytical methods are required. In this work, an analytical method has been developed and validated for the first time automatised enantioselective determination of environmental significant fluoroquinolones and their metabolites in wastewater and surface water samples. Target fluoroquinolones were selected by considering their extended use in human (ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin) and veterinary (flumequine) medicine. The analytical method was based on on-line solid-phase extraction-chiral liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Analysis, including sample extraction and chiral LC-MS/MS determination, was carried out in just 14 min. The method was validated for its application to surface water and effluent and influent wastewater. Accuracy values were in the range from 61.4 to 122 % in wastewater and from 73.4 to 119 % in surface water. Precision, expressed as relative standard deviation, was lower than 13.6 % for all the compounds and sample matrices. Method quantification limits were in the range from 0.2 to 50 ng/L for all the compounds in wastewater and surface water. Method application to wastewater and surface water samples revealed the enantioselective transformation of LEV into (R)-OFL in surface water and the prevalence of OH-FLU D2 with respect to OH-FLU D1 in influent wastewater.

The adsorption–desorption processes of organic pollutants into the soil are one of the main factors influencing their potential environmental risks and distribution in the environment. In the present work, the adsorption–desorption behavior of an antibiotic, trimethoprim (TMP), and two of its main metabolites, 3-desmethyltrimethoprim (DM-TMP) and 4-hydroxytrimethoprim (OH-TMP), were assessed in three Mediterranean agricultural soils with different physicochemical characteristics. Results showed that the adsorption kinetic is performed in two steps: external sorption and intraparticle diffusion. The adsorptions of the studied compounds in soils were similar and fitted to the three models but were better fitted to a linear model. In the case of DM-TMP and OH-TMP, their adsorptions were positively correlated with the soil organic matter. In addition, desorption was higher in less organic matter soil (from 1.3 to 30.9%). Furthermore, the desorptions measured for the TMP metabolites were lower than those measured in the case of TMP (from 2.0 and 4.0% for OH-TMP and DM-TMP, respectively, to 9.0% for TMP).

In this paper, a method is proposed for the determination of antibiotics classified by the World Health Organization as critically important (four macrolides and three quinolones) and highly important (one tetracycline, one diaminopyridine, and three sulfonamides) and eight of their metabolites. The method is based on ultrasound-assisted extraction, dispersive solid-phase extraction clean-up, and analytical determination by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Variables affecting each stage of the analytical method were thoroughly optimised. The method was validated for its application to sewage sludge from different treatment stages (non-treated sludge: primary and secondary sludge; and treated sludge: digested sludge and compost) and to agricultural soil. Limits of quantification were in the range of 0.03–7.50 ng g−1 dry weight (dw) for most of the compounds. Accuracy values were in the range of 70–102%. Precision was below 17%. The application of the method to real samples revealed that macrolides and fluoroquinolones were the antibiotic classes at the highest concentrations in all types of samples. The lowest concentrations of antibiotics were measured in compost (highest concentration: 27 ng g−1 dw, corresponding to norfloxacin) and soil samples (highest concentration: 93 ng g−1 dw, corresponding to a metabolite of clarithromycin). The proposed method is the first developed to date for the determination of multiclass antibiotics and their main metabolites in sludge from different treatment stages. The method can provide a useful tool for obtaining information about antibiotics in sewage sludge prior to its application to agricultural soils and in agricultural soils.

The main difficulties when analyzing pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in solid environmental samples is the complexity of the samples and the low concentration levels of such pollutants. Most efforts are focused in achieving good analytical performance parameters such as high recoveries or low detection limits without considering if the methods are environmentally friendly. In this work, the main tools proposed for assessing the greenness of analytical methodologies (Analytical Eco-scale, Green Analytical Procedure Index (GAPI), and Analytical GREEnness metric (AGREE)) have been applied to nine analytical procedures that include recent important analytical tendencies. The three metrics identified the paper spray ionization method as the greenest procedure since it used untreated samples for direct mass spectrometry analysis. Using Analytical Eco-scale, most of the evaluated procedures were rated as “acceptable green”. However, the use of internal standards resulted key in the environmental impact of the method which provided contradictory results versus other metrics. GAPI found greenness similarities between most of selected methods, hindering a greenness classification. AGREE allowed the weighting of each evaluation criterion providing a greenness ranking. The application of each metric detecting their weaknesses and strengths was discussed. The incorporation of validation analytical features in greenness metrics was a gap revealed.

Pharmaceutical residues in water and wastewater have become a worldwide problem with environmental and public health consequences. Antibiotics are of special importance because of the emergence of antibiotic-resistant genes. This study evaluates the adsorptive removal of four common fluoroquinolone antibiotics by using natural colemanite as an alternative adsorbent for the first time. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted for the mixture of fluoroquinolones as well as for individual compounds during the isotherm studies. Adsorption kinetic results indicated that the process followed the pseudo-second-order (PSO) model, while the Langmuir model described the sorption isotherms. The effects of pH and temperature on adsorption performance were determined, and the results indicated that the adsorption was endothermic and spontaneous, with increasing randomness at the solid–liquid interface. The effects of real water and wastewater matrices were tested by using tap water, surface water, and wastewater samples. Reusability experiments based on five adsorption–desorption cycles indicated that the adsorption performance was mostly retained after five cycles. The adsorption mechanism was elucidated based the material characterization before and after adsorption. The results indicate that colemanite can be used as an effective and reusable adsorbent for fluoroquinolone antibiotics as well as for other pollutants with similar physicochemical properties.

Composting is an important waste management strategy, providing an economical and environment-friendly approach to sanitizing and stabilizing biosolids for land soil amendment. However, the resulting product can contain a large number of organic pollutants that may have adverse effects on the ecosystem. This paper presents the occurrence of eight widely used organic pollutants (four linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS C10-C13), nonylphenol and its mono- and di-ethoxylates (NPE) and a di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP)) in full-scale composting processes. LAS homologues were detected at the highest concentrations (range of ∑LAS: 2068–9375 mg kg−1 dm), exceeding the limit fixed in the EU Directive draft. The concentration levels of the NPE and DEHP were significantly lower (up to 27.5 and 156.8 mg kg−1 dm, respectively) and did not exceed their fixed limits in the EU Directive draft. Ecotoxicological risk assessment for when compost is amended onto soils has also been evaluated. The concentrations measured represented a medium-low risk for most compounds, although it was not enough in the case of LAS C11 and C13 and NP.

The widespread occurrence of antibiotics in the environment may exert a negative impact on wild organisms. In addition, they can become environmental reservoirs, through the ingestion of food or contaminated water, and vectors for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This fact is even more important in migratory birds that can promote their dissemination across continents. In this work, a multiresidue analytical method suitable for the determination of five families of antibiotics and their main metabolites in waterbird faeces has been developed and validated. The target compounds include environmentally significant sulfonamides, macrolides, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines and antifolates. Sample treatment involves ultrasound-assisted extraction with methanol and dispersive solid-phase extraction clean-up with C18. Analytical determination was carried out by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The most significant parameters affecting sample extraction and extract clean-up were optimised by means of experimental designs. Good linearity (R2 > 0.994), accuracy (from 41 to 127%), precision (relative standard deviation lower than 24%) and limits of quantification (lower than 2 ng g−1 (dry weight, dw)) were obtained for most of the compounds. The method was applied to the determination of the selected compounds in 27 faeces samples from three common migratory waterbird species. Nine antibiotics and three of their metabolites were detected in the analysed samples. Fluoroquinolones and macrolides were the antibiotics most frequently detected. The highest concentrations corresponded to norfloxacin (up to 199 ng g−1 dw).

This work evaluated the availability and sorption behaviour of four pharmaceuticals and eight of their metabolites in sewage sludge and sludge-amended soil. Digested sludge and compost were evaluated. The highest levels found in digested sludge corresponded to caffeine (up to 115 ng g−1 dm), ibuprofen (45 ng g−1 dm) and carbamazepine (9.3 ng g−1 dm). The concentrations measured in compost were even lower than in digested sludge. No compound was detected in sludge-amended soils. This fact could be due to the dilution effect after sludge application to soil. Different adsorption capacities in sludge–soil mixtures were measured for the studied compounds at the same spike concentration. In general, except for paraxanthine and 3-hydroxycarbamazepine, the metabolite concentrations measured in the mixtures were almost two-fold lower than those of their parent compounds, which can be explained by their mobility and lixiviation tendency. The log Kd ranged from −1.55 to 1.71 in sludge samples and from −0.29 to 1.18 in soil–sludge mixtures. The log Kd values calculated for compost were higher than those calculated for digested sludge. The obtained results implied that the higher organic carbon content of compost could influence soil contamination when it is applied to soil.

La gestión de lodos de depuradoras constituye un importante problema medioambiental. Gran parte se aplica como enmienda orgánica en agricultura y los contaminantes orgánicos que contienen, entre ellos, fármacos como ibuprofeno, paracetamol, carbamazepina u ofloxacino, se acumulan en los suelos, contaminando aguas superficiales y subterráneas, concentrándose en plantas y animales, y en los seres humanos a través de la cadena alimentaria, siendo fundamental la biorremediación de estos lodos mediante diferentes técnicas tales como el bioaumento,con bacterias degradadoras específicas de cada contaminante. Es por ello, que el objetivo del presente trabajo es la búsqueda y aislamiento de cepas bacterianas degradadoras específicas de los citados fármacos. Concretamente se obtuvieron mediante la técnica de cultivos de enriquecimiento del lodo con dichos fármacos el aislamiento de 3 cepas bacterianas para ibuprofeno(I1, I2 e I3), 4 para paracetamol(P1, P2, P3 y P4), 5 para carbamazepina (C1, C2, C3, C4 y C5) y 5 para ofloxacino(O1, O2, O3, O4 y O5). La demanda biológica de oxígeno (DBO)es una prueba para determinar que las cepas bacterianas aisladas son capaces de usar los distintos fármacos como única fuente de carbono y energía. En esta prueba se observó ques ólo las cepas bacterianas C3, C5, P1, P2 y P3 son potencialmente degradadoras de carbamazepina y paracetamol en solución acuosa, respectivamente., The management of sewage sludge constitutes a big environmental problem. The sludge is usually applied as an organic amendment in agriculture and the organic pollutants that it contains, among them, drugs such as ibuprofen, paracetamol, carbamazepine or ofloxacin, accumulate in soils, contaminating surface and underground waters, concentrating in plants and animals, and in the human through the food chain, being fundamental the bioremediation of these sludges by different techniques such as bioaugmentation,with specific degrading bacteria of each pollutant.For this reason, the objective of this work is to searchand to isolate specific bacterial degrading strains of the mentioned drugs. Specifically, we isolated 3 bacterial strains for ibuprofen (I1, I2 and I3), 4 for paracetamol (P1, P2, P3 and P4), 5 for carbamazepine (C1, C2, C3, C4 and C5) and 5 for ofloxacin (O1, O2, O3, O4 and O5).These bacterias were obtained using the sludge enrichment culture technique with these drugs.Biological oxygen demand (BOD) is a test to determine that isolated bacterial strains are capable of using the different drugs as the only source of carbon and energy. In this test it was observed that only the bacterial strains C3, C5, P1, P2 and P3 are potentially degraders of carbamazepine and paracetamol in aqueous solution, respectively.

La vacunación es, en la historia de la medicina, uno de los sucesos más significativos, que tras los años, ha permitido una reducción de la mortalidad infantil y la erradicación de enfermedades. Sin embargo, con el apogeo de los denominados grupos “antivacunas” ha aumentado la incidencia de enfermedades infecciosas, entre ellas, el sarampión, cuya erradicación no ha sido posible para el año 2015, objetivo propuesto por la Organización Mundial de la Salud. En el presente trabajo, además de una revisión bibliográfica para situar el tema, se ha realizado una recopilación sobre las posibilidades existentes en el mercado español de las diferentes vacunas a disposición del profesional sanitario recogidas en la Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios. Los resultados obtenidos de las fichas técnicas de los medicamentos, han sido analizados, posteriormente, para extraer conclusiones respecto a diferentes aspectos: tipo de forma farmacéutica, vía de administración, dispositivo para su administración, etc. Además, se han analizado las formulaciones de las vacunas existentes contra el sarampión, haciendo hincapié en los diversos excipientes que contienen: crioprotectores, modificadores de la temperatura de colapso, agentes de carga, lioprotectores, modificadores de pH, medios de cultivo, etc. Los resultados muestran que la mayoría de las vacunas comercializadas en España se presentan en forma de suspensión, para ser administrada vía intramuscular, gracias a una jeringa precargada. También se ha llegado a la conclusión de que todas las vacunas existentes del sarampión son combinadas, producidas a partir de virus vivos o atenuados y se presentan en forma de polvo liofilizado en vial y vehículo en jeringa precargada, por lo que son de preparación extemporáneas., In the history of medicine, vaccination is one of the most important events, which over the years has allowed a reduction in infant mortality and the eradication of diseases. However, with the apogee of the so-called "anti-vaccine" groups has increased the incidence of infectious diseases, including measles, whose eradication is not possible by the year 2015, not achieving the objective proposed by the World Health Organization. This work is a bibliographic review and a compilation about the existing possibilities in Spain of different vaccines available to health professionals collected at the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products. The results have been obtained from the medicine data sheets and have been analyzed later with the purpose of drawing conclusions from different aspects: type of dosage form, way of administration, device for its administration, etc. In addition, we have analyzed formulations of existing measles vaccines, by emphasizing different excipients which contain: cryoprotectants, collapse temperature modifiers, bulking agents, lyoprotectants, pH modifiers, culture media, etc. The results show that the majority of vaccines marketed in Spain are suspensions, to be administered by an intramuscular injection, with a prefilled syringe. In addiction, the conclusion that all existing measles vaccines are combined has been reached. They are produced from living or attenuated virus which are present in a lyophilized powder vial and the vehicle is in a pre-filled syringe, so they are extemporaneous preparations.