Occurrence and health risk assessment of pharmaceutically active compounds in riverbank filtrated drinking water

The presence of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in drinking waters might pose a serious threat to human health worldwide. Therefore, this study sought measure PhACs Danube-derived tap water from the Budapest metropolitan region (Hungary), and compare results those measured bank filtrate after which risk assessment (based on quotient [hRQ]) was conducted for detected PhACs. A total 108 samples were collected 21 sampling sites throughout 6 campaigns. Our screened 102 PhACs, 19 persistently chlorinated samples. PhAC concentrations much lower than previously assumed based contamination raw resources. mean concentration analyzed exceeded 30 ng L−1 only at 5 sites. Moreover, frequency occurrence (FRO) most common (carbamazepine, lamotrigine, lidocaine, benzoylecgonine, tramadol, cinolazepam) reached 50 % 4 frequent carbamazepine (FRO = 53.7 %), level all investigated negligible (hRQ<1) with having highest hRQs (hRQMAX 0.007; hRQMEAN 0.001). Tap provided farther abstraction wells treatment stations along Danube. travel time between taps other factors, such as varying microbiological pattern deposits supply system influence concentrations. Based assessment, consumers urban area.