ASSESSMENT OF THE LEVEL OF SELECTED PHARMACEUTICALS IN WATER AROUND HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENTS IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Indiscriminate disposal of pharmaceuticals through sewage, on-land and water-ways could contribute to water contamination in and around the hospital environment. This study determined the levels of Paracetamol, Metronidazole, Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim in groundwater from three selected hospitals and their environs in Ogun State, Nigeria. Physicochemical properties were determined using standard analytical procedures while, solid phase extraction was employed for pre-concentration of the samples and quantification of the selected pharmaceuticals were determined using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with Ultraviolet (UV) detector. The result of physicochemical properties are as follows: pH ≤ 7.58, electrical conductivities ≤ 1720.05 µs/cm, total dissolved solids ≤ 808.40 mg/L, salinities ≤ 0.86 mg/L, chloride levels ≤ 509.43 mg/L and total hardness ≤ 8.50 mg/L. The pharmaceutical concentrations in the water samples (mg/L) are; Paracetamol ≤ 2.610, Metronidazole ≤ 0.331, Sulfamethoxazole ≤ 0.007 and Trimethoprim ≤ 0.058. The physicochemical properties of some of the samples did not conform to the permissible limits for potable water. Furthermore, though trace concentrations of the pharmaceuticals were found to be present, but level of some were higher than the WHO permissible limits for drinking water. Therefore, cautions needs to be taken in long-term consumption of these water as it could lead to drug resistance and other health-related adverse conditions