Analysis of pharmaceuticals in wastewater of three hospitals in the city of Puebla, Mexico

Through their effluents, hospitals contribute to the occurrence of emerging micro-pollutants, such as pharmaceutical products, in the water. This work quantified the presence of nine pharmaceuticals in the wastewater of three private hospitals in Mexico with 66, 92 and 120 beds, respectively. The samples were characterized physicochemically and, using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS / MS), the following average maximum concentrations were reported: acetaminophen (38740.11 +/- 33832.15 ng/L), naproxen (6321.42 +/- 11074.86 ng/L), ketorolac (1429.80 +/- 237.94 ng/L), ibuprofen (249.46 +/- 143.68 ng/L), ranitidine (149.60 +/- 303.70 ng/L), hydrocortisone (96.72 +/- 57.21 ng/L), dexamethasone (33.02 +/- 41.23 ng/L), esomeprazole (22.85 +/- 24.12 ng/L) and omeprazole (22.50 +/- 23.97 ng/L). In treated water, a reduction from 67 to 100% in hydrocortisone, naproxen, paracetamol and ranitidine levels was detected. The results obtained inform the presence of pharmaceuticals that had not been previously reported in Mexican hospital effluents and demonstrate the impact of treatment plants, contributing to the existing evidence to promote regulatory actions, technological innovation and monitoring.