The Anthropocene and the wetlands: Pharmaceuticals and trace elements interactions in a Mediterranean wetland (L’Albufera, Spain).

Trace elements and pharmaceutical products can affect the fragile balance in which Mediterranean wetlands are sustained. A clear example of that is L’Albufera Natural Park (Valencia, Spain), which shows constant pressure derived from high human and industrial occupation. In it, 14 areas were sampled to determine the levels of pharmaceuticals (PHs) and trace elements (HMs) in the soils. 17 drugs were selected, covering the most commonly used, and 12 trace elements of concern. The determination of the organic compounds was performed by Solid Phase Extraction (SPE), the extracts were analyzed by HPLC-MS/MS. The total content of 12 trace elements (As, B, Cd, Co, Li, Ni, Pb, Rb, Se, Sr, Ti and Tl) were extracted by microwave acid digestion, and the extractable fraction was obtained with EDTA, both were determined by ICP-OES. The highest average values were for Ti (518.62 mg/kg) and Sr (379.19 mg/kg), with maximum values of 807.37 and 724.43, respectively. Thirteen of the pharmaceuticals analyzed were detected in soils, in at least one sample. Carbamazepine was the most frequently detected. The highest concentrations correspond to acetaminophen (17.70 μg/kg). The northern area is the most polluted in all cases. Some interactions have been found between HMs and PHs