Simultaneous occurrence of nitrates and sulfonamide antibiotics in two ground water bodies of Catalonia (Spain)

In the present work the occurrence of 19 selected sulfonamides, including one acetylated metabolite, was investigated in ground water samples taken from two ground water bodies in Catalonia (Plana de Vic and La Selva). Both include areas designated as nitrate vulnerable zones, according to Directive 91/676/EEC. A fully automated analytical methodology based on on-line solid-phase extraction–liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (on-line SPE–LC–MS/MS) was developed for this purpose. The high selectivity and sensitivity achieved (limits of detection between 0.005 and 0.8 ng/L) permitted to demonstrate the ubiquity of these antibiotics in both ground water bodies. Results showed a wide range of concentrations, from 0.01 ng/L up to 3460.57 ng/L. Since sulfonamides are related to livestock veterinary practices, they can be used as a specific indicator of manure contamination. However, the presence of sulfonamides appeared not to be directly related to the concentration of nitrates, as it is reflected on the low correlation coefficients found.This work has been funded by the EU project NOMIRACLE (No. 003956-2) and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the project CTM2006-26225-E) and reflects the author’s view. The EU is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained in it. M.S.D.C. acknowledges her Ramón y Cajal contract from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. We express our thanks to A. Navarro for her collaboration with the handling of data, to C. Postigo for her collaboration with the Prospekt 2TM instrument and to Spark Holland and Waters for the gift of SPE cartridges.Peer reviewe