Assessing Emissions from Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Based on Temporal High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry Data

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Water Quality Monitoring

Background:

• Pharmaceutical production can lead to the discharge of active compounds into wastewater.
• Assessing the environmental impact of industrial pharmaceutical emissions requires robust analytical methods.
• Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) may receive and transport industrial pollutants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and apply a nontarget approach for detecting pharmaceutical production discharges in WWTP effluents.
• To quantify the relevance of these industrial emissions on overall water quality.
• To differentiate industrial emissions from domestic inputs in wastewater.

Main Methods:

• Collection of daily composite wastewater samples over 3 months from two Swiss WWTPs.
• Analysis using liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS).
• Time-series analysis of detected features to identify fluctuating industrial emissions based on intensity variation.

Main Results:

• A threshold for intensity variation effectively distinguished industrial from domestic sources.
• WWTPs receiving pharmaceutical manufacturing wastewater showed 10 times more potential industrial emissions.
• High concentrations of pharmaceuticals (>214 μg/L) and an unauthorized drug were detected.
• Industrial signatures were traceable in the Rhine River after >4000-fold dilution, indicating regular production.

Conclusions:

• Nontarget analysis effectively identifies pharmaceutical manufacturing discharges in WWTP effluents.
• Pharmaceutical production is a significant source of water pollution, impacting even major river systems.
• Industrial emissions from pharmaceutical manufacturing require careful management, even in countries with high environmental standards.