Pharmaceuticals and cocaine as chemical markers of contamination in coastal waters off Ubatuba, Brazil

Pharmaceuticals detected in seawater are defined as emerging pollutants and have become a new environmental concern on marine ecosystems. Despite of the increasing efforts to assess their distribution and impacts in the marine environment, the knowledge on the topic is still fragmentary, hampering the implementation of regulatory measures. This work presents data on pharmaceuticals and cocaine in seawater samples from Ubatuba, a touristic hotspot located on the Southeastern coast of Brazil, a site with relatively low anthropogenic impact and significant ecological value. Sampling was carried out in two embayment areas, namely Ubatuba Bay and Flamengo Inlet. Through quantitative analysis by LC-MS/MS, 15 compounds were detected: 3 antihypertensives (valsartan, losartan and enalapril), 2 analgesics (diclofenac and acetaminophen), 2 β-blockers (atenolol and propranolol), 1 antiepileptic (carbamazepine), 1 antidepressant (citalopram), 1 anticoagulant (clopidogrel), 1 antidiabetic (rosuvastatin), 1 anticholinergic (orphenadrine), 1 stimulant (caffeine), 1 illicit drug (cocaine) and its main human metabolite benzoylecgonine. Caffeine (22-3,500 ng L^-1), valsartan (9-3,490 ng L^-1), losartan (22.4-1,050 ng L^-1), acetaminophen (0.19-602 ng L^-1) and atenolol (0.28-375 ng L^-1) had the highest concentrations. The most frequent compounds were cocaine, benzoylecgonine and caffeine, the latter considered a wastewater tracer. The distribution pattern of compounds in each bay was similar and suggests the direct impact of raw sewage input into the coastal environment. The occurrence of cocaine, benzoylecgonine, caffeine and acetaminophen at outer stations indicates lateral advection by coastal currents, meaning that emerging pollutants such as those recorded here may be carried along the inner shelf far from their original source location.