Applicability of artificial sweeteners as markers of wastewater contamination in Japanese surface waters

The stability and hydrophilicity of artificial sweeteners (ASs) potentially make them ideal markers for evaluating wastewater contamination in surface waters. In this study, a method for simultaneously measuring the concentrations of multiple ASs was developed. The method combined liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry with hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography and a basic mobile phase to realize the same detection limit for sucralose (SUC) as other ASs. The developed method was applied for measuring AS concentrations in water samples taken from rivers and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influents and effluents in Japan. SUC and acesulfame were detected in almost all river samples (>90 %) as well as in the WWTP effluents and influents. The per capita SUC loadings in the WWTP samples were consistent with the estimated consumption, which implied that consumed SUC was discharged almost unaltered in surface waters. The SUC concentrations in the WWTP effluents and river samples showed a positive correlation with the ratio of the watershed population or the population connected to WWTPs to water flow, which indicated that SUC was applicable as a quantitative marker of wastewater contamination in Japanese surface waters.