PARENT SESSION
40 - Pharmaceuticals in the Environment
8:00 AM to 6:30 PM, Tuesday, 14 May 2002
Exhibition Area

(40-11) Occurance of highly discussed Pollutants in the Stretch of the Austrian Danube related to the Catchment Area.

Kreuzinger, Norbert^*,1, Gans, Oliver², Hohenblum, Philipp², Lorbeer, Gundi², Moche, Wolfgang², Scharf, Sigrid², ¹ Institute for Water Quality and Waste Management, Vienna, Austria² Austrian Federal Environment Agency, Vienna, Austria

ABSTRACT- Among others (more than 50 substances) Estradiol, Estriol, Ethinyl-Estradiol, Nonylphenol, Nonylphenolethoxylates, Nonylphenolcarboxylates, Bisphenol-A, Tonalide, Galaxolide, Caffeine, Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Iopromid, Roxithromycin, Diazepam, Carbamazepin and DAS-1 were analysed at 10 sampling points in the 318 km stretch of the Austrian Danube for the first time. Sampling was done in August 2001 during the Joint Danube Survey 2001 organized by ICPDR (International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River). Within the sampled stretch, tributaries and Danube receive treated wastewaters of approximately 5 mio inhabitants. Observed concentrations allow reflecting on the development of concentration and load related to the augmenting size of the catchment area and increasing contribution of treated wastewater to the flow of the Danube. This paper shows for the first time a detailed picture on distribution and transport of more than 50 xenobiotic contaminants for the stretch of the Austrian Danube. The development of concentrations is connected to significant sources of discharge into the river Danube and the effect of the capital of Austria - Vienna. Data show that certain substances being of importance for other European countries (e.g. Germany) are of minor or none importance for the Austrian stretch of the Danube. A substance specific transport behaviour can be obtained, if different distribution patterns can be observed. Beside basic information on the behaviour of the investigated substances (dilution, degradation, distribution and transport) surveyed concentrations are of general interest especially for toxicology and environmental politics, as they are the basis for considerations on risk assessment and management strategies.

Key words: Danube monitoring, pharmaceuticals, endocrine modulators, hormones