Table 3.
Levels of pharmaceuticals found in surface water of the FNFNES
| Pharmaceutical | n | Mean (ng/L) | Median (ng/L) | Min (ng/L) | Max (ng/L) | Frequency of detection (%) | Quantification limit (ng/L) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acetaminophen | 25 | 36.6 | 18.0 | 11.0 | 307 | 6.6 | 10 |
| Atenolol | 116 | 22.6 | 15.5 | 5.0 | 245 | 28.4 | 5.0 |
| Atorvastatin | 2 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.2 | 8.8 | 0.5 | 5.0 |
| Bezafibrate | 26 | 3.7 | 2.75 | 1.1 | 11.2 | 6.4 | 1.0 |
| Caffeine | 133 | 120.9 | 19.4 | 5.1 | 4018 | 32.5 | 5.0 |
| Carbamazepine | 57 | 13.3 | 8.1 | 0.6 | 39.6 | 14.0 | 0.5 |
| Chlortetracycline | 3 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 0.7 | 10 |
| Cimetidine | 57 | 6.4 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 40.9 | 14.0 | 2.0 |
| Ciprofloxacin | 15 | 28.2 | 29.0 | 20.0 | 37.7 | 3.7 | 20.0 |
| Clarithromycin | 33 | 15.6 | 9.1 | 2.1 | 69.6 | 8.1 | 2.0 |
| Clofibric acid | 10 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 8.6 | 2.5 | 1.0 |
| Codeine | 24 | 44.0 | 39.5 | 9.6 | 101 | 5.9 | 5.0 |
| Cotinine | 71 | 16.8 | 8.5 | 5.0 | 90.0 | 17.4 | 5.0 |
| Dehydronifedipine | 5 | 4.9 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 9.5 | 1.2 | 2.0 |
| Diclofenac | 14 | 22.9 | 21.0 | 15.0 | 38.0 | 3.4 | 15.0 |
| Diltiazem | 3 | 46 | 59.7 | 5.2 | 73.1 | 0.7 | 5.0 |
| Diphenhydramine | 9 | 24.8 | 14.0 | 12.0 | 56.0 | 2.2 | 10.0 |
| Erythromycin | 1 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 0.2 | 10.0 |
| Fluoxetine | 6 | 31.4 | 30.8 | 15.8 | 50.7 | 1.5 | 5.0 |
| Furosemide | 5 | 15.2 | 8.5 | 6.4 | 30.7 | 1.2 | 5.0 |
| Gemfibrozil | 15 | 4.4 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 16.8 | 3.7 | 1.0 |
| Hydrochlorothiazide | 26 | 43.9 | 49.9 | 5.1 | 85.9 | 6.4 | 5.0 |
| Ibuprofen | 13 | 117.2 | 85.0 | 27.0 | 367 | 3.2 | 20.0 |
| Isochlortetracycline | 1 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 0.2 | 10.0 |
| Ketoprofen | 19 | 26.0 | 6.4 | 2.4 | 307 | 4.7 | 2.0 |
| Metformin | 88 | 716 | 197.5 | 13.3 | 6210 | 21.6 | 10.0 |
| Metoprolol | 25 | 21.3 | 20.2 | 6.8 | 77.0 | 6.1 | 5.0 |
| Naproxen | 28 | 43.7 | 39.2 | 5.5 | 120 | 6.9 | 5.0 |
| Pentoxifylline | 6 | 13.7 | 11.1 | 2.5 | 26.9 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| Ranitidine | 19 | 22.1 | 24.0 | 10.0 | 33.0 | 4.7 | 10.0 |
| Sulfamethazine | 19 | 15.4 | 16.4 | 6.1 | 24.2 | 4.7 | 5.0 |
| Sulfamethoxazole | 57 | 20.5 | 10.1 | 2.0 | 87.0 | 14.0 | 2.0 |
| Trimethoprim | 28 | 8.3 | 5.6 | 2.2 | 32 | 6.9 | 2.0 |
| Warfarin | 12 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 6.9 | 2.9 | 0.5 |
| 17α-Ethinylestradiol | 6 | 0.54 | 0.50 | 0.38 | 0.74 | 1.5 | 0.2 |
Pharmaceuticals were detected in 408 water samples