
Assessment of Urban Contamination by Sewage in Sediments from Ipojuca River in Caruaru City, Pernambuco, Brazil
2021; Brazilian Chemical Society; Linguagem: Inglês
10.21577/0103-5053.20210133
ISSN1678-4790
AutoresAna Flávia de Oliveira, Bruna C. Gomes, Rebeca França, Alex Souza Moraes, Giovana A. Bataglion, Jandyson M. Santos,
Tópico(s)Water Quality and Pollution Assessment
ResumoThe Ipojuca River is considered the third most polluted river in Brazil due to the intense anthropogenic activities in the surrounding urban areas. The most important effluent is sewage discharge, which is responsible for considerable contamination. Traditional analyses (infrared spectroscopy, organic matter (OM), elemental analysis and granulometry) and advanced analysis of sterols by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were applied to evaluate the levels of urban contamination from sewage in 10 surface sediment samples from the Ipojuca River, in a stretch located in the Caruaru city, Pernambuco, Brazil. The results pointed to sandy sediments, rich in OM from anthropogenic sources (predominant). Eight different sterols were detected with a total concentration in a range between < limit of quantification (LOQ) and 1,634.4 µg g-1. Coprostanol (fecal biomarker) was detected in high concentrations (557.3 µg g-1) in the sediment collected close to an open-air market (considered the largest in the world), making it the most contaminated in the region. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed areas tending towards contamination and that 90% of sediments were contaminated by sewage. These results can be considered useful for preventive and remedial actions toward promoting human health in this region.
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