Application of Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler (POCIS) to monitor emerging contaminants in tropical waters

- POCIS sampling rates were determined for 35 (including 8 new) PhACs and EDCs.
- Sampling rates were higher under stirred conditions than under quiescent conditions.
- The effect of salinity on POCIS sampling rates is compound-specific.
- POCIS were deployed in tropical lake and estuarine waters.
- POCIS is an effective tool to monitor PhACs and EDCs in tropical waters.

Tools specifically validated for tropical environments are needed to accurately describe the behavior of chemical contaminants in tropical ecosystems. In the present study, sampling rates (Rs) were determined for the commercial pharmaceutical-type Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler (POCIS) with a 45.8 cm2 exposure surface for 35 Pharmaceutically Active Compounds (PhACs) and Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs), of which eight compounds (albuterol, atorvastatin, diltiazem, dilantin, enalapril, norfluoxetine, risperidone and warfarin) were reported for the first time. These sampling rates were measured in an outdoor laboratory calibration setup to best capture diurnal tropical temperature variations (29 ± 3 °C). The effect of stirring and salinity was investigated. For all compounds, the sampling rates were higher under stirred conditions as compared to quiescent conditions. Calibration results in the presence of 30 g sodium chloride support that the effects of salinity on POCIS sampling rates are compound-specific. Comparisons between Time-Weight Average (TWA) water concentrations using POCIS and spot sample levels in the field (2 lake and 1 mangrove estuary sites) are presented. Results showed that POCIS TWA concentrations were in agreement with spot sample concentrations for these aquatic systems. Results indicate that POCIS can be used to effectively measure the TWA concentration for a range of PhACs and EDCs in tropical waters. However, based on the results from mass balance and field deployments, POCIS did not appear suitable for compounds with a low mass balance recovery during calibration (e.g. triclosan and linuron in this study).