Research Article
Method Development for Assessing Carbamazepine,
Caffeine, and Atrazine in Water Sources from the
Brazilian Federal District Using UPLC-QTOF/MS
Fernando F. Sodré
1
and C-nthia M. P. Cavalcanti
2
1
Institute of Chemistry, University of Bras´ ılia, Bras´ ılia 70910-000, Brazil
2
Environmental Sanitation Company of the Federal District (CAESB),
´
Aguas Claras 71928-720, Brazil
Correspondence should be addressed to Fernando F. Sodr´ e; fsodre@unb.br
Received 29 July 2018; Accepted 8 October 2018; Published 11 November 2018
Academic Editor: Eladia M. Pena-Mendez
Copyright © 2018 Fernando F. Sodr´ e and C´ ınthia M. P. Cavalcanti. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative
Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the
original work is properly cited.
About 3.0 million people living under a typical tropical savannah climate in the Brazilian Federal District (FD) have faced an
unprecedented water crisis. Considering the need for indirect reuse of wastewater for public supply, this work aimed to investigate
FD water sources regarding the presence and risks of three contaminants of emerging concern: cafeine, carbamazepine, and
atrazine. Samples from two current water sources (Descoberto and Santa-Maria Lakes) and two future water sources of the FD
(Parano´ a and Corumb´ a Lakes) were analyzed by solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography coupled to hybrid
quadrupole-time-of-fight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS). Method precision and accuracy were satisfactory and limits of
quantifcation ranged from 0.37 to 0.54 ng/L. Higher concentrations were observed for cafeine in the future water sources (39 to
180 ng/L) followed by carbamazepine (5.4 to 25 ng/L) and atrazine (3.9 to 15 ng/L). Te less-impacted water sources, in current
use in the FD, present cafeine concentrations ranging from 4.8 to 32 ng/L and atrazine levels varying between 2.4 and 5.5 ng/L.
Carbamazepine was not detected in these reservoirs. Environmental risk assessment indicates a possible risk for carbamazepine
and atrazine, evidencing the need for further studies. No human health risk was depicted within the results.
1. Introduction
Te capital of Brazil, Bras´ ılia, is located in the Brazilian
Federal District (FD) under a typical tropical savannah
climate with distinct periods of precipitation and humidity.
Te winter is dry with approximately 120 days without
rainfall, resulting in severe problems related to water scarcity
and rationing. Te most important drinking water systems of
the FD (Descoberto Lake and Santa-Maria Lake production
systems) have become insufcient to supply about 3.0 million
people living in the region. Tus, several actions have already
been taken by the Environmental Sanitation Company to
improve water availability, such as the use of alternative low-
fow water intakes, the constant policing of the water sources,
and the minimization of water losses during production
processes.
As a result of low rainfall rates for three consecutive
years, combined with a lower water recharge and an intense
water use, the region is experiencing the largest water crisis
in its history. To alleviate this problem, several long-term
alternatives were evaluated, two of which were selected for
the expansion of the water supply system: the use of Corumb´ a
and Parano´ a Lakes as water sources. Te former is located
beyond the borders of the FD and receives efuents from
wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), either directly or
through its tributaries, while Parano´ a Lake is an urban water
system that receives efuents from two important WWTPs of
the FD, as well as urban drainage waters and contaminated
waters from tributaries, some of them running through
densely populated areas.
Under this new reality, the indirect reuse of water is sig-
nifcant [1] and WWTPs become the most promising sources
Hindawi
International Journal of Analytical Chemistry
Volume 2018, Article ID 4593793, 10 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/4593793