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The formation of 4-nitroso-sulfamethoxazole and 4-nitro-SMX, two transformation products (TPs) of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) was investigated under batch soil slurry experiments and in a field study. Due to their low occurrence levels (ng/L) in environmental waters, a suitable analytical method based on liquid chromatography – high resolution – mass spectrometry was developed. Consequently, field observations revealed, for the first time, the occurrence of 4-nitroso-SMX in groundwater at concentrations as high as 18 ng/L.Nitric oxide (NO ) steady-state concentrations were determined in soil slurry experiments because this reactive specie accounted for the formation of 4-nitroso-SMX and 4-nitro-SMX. Measurements revealed that environmental SMX concentrations (0.2–2 μg/L) at neutral pH induced the accumulation of nitric oxide. Under acidic conditions (pH < 6), nitrous acid (HONO) was the major source of nitric oxide while under neutral/basic conditions nitric oxide release was related to the inhibition of denitrification processes. Under laboratory experiments, SMX nitration reaction appeared to be an irreversible transformation pathway, while 4-nitroso-SMX was slowly transformed over time. The occurrence of 4-nitroso-SMX conditions was therefore unexpected in the field study but could be due to its continuous input from soil and/or its relative persistence under anoxic conditions. A mechanism for 4-nitroso-SMX formation was proposed involving a nitrosative desamination pathway through a phenyl radical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Up till now, the diclofenac (DCF) transformation into its nitrogen-derivatives, N -nitroso-DCF (NO-DCF) and 5-nitro-DCF (NO 2 -DCF), has been mainly investigated in wastewater treatment plant under nitrification or denitrification processes. This work reports, for the first time, an additional DCF microbial mediated nitrosation pathway of DCF in soil under strictly anoxic conditions probably involving codenitrification processes and fungal activities. This transformation pathway was investigated by using field observations data at a soil aquifer system (Katari watershed, Bolivia) and by carrying out soil slurry batch experiments. It was also observed for diphenylamine (DPA). Field measurements revealed the occurrence of NO-DCF, NO 2 -DCF and NO-DPA in groundwater samples at concentration levels in the 6–68 s/L range. These concentration levels are more significant than those previously reported in wastewater treatment plant effluents taking into account dilution processes in soil. Interestingly, the p -benzoquinone imine of 5-OH-DCF was also found to be rather stable in surface water. In laboratory batch experiments under strictly anoxic conditions, the transformation of DCF and DPA into their corresponding N -nitroso derivatives was well correlated to denitrification processes. It was also observed that NO-DCF evolved into NO 2 -DCF while NO-DPA was stable. In vitro experiments showed that the Fisher-Hepp rearrangement could not account for NO 2 -DCF formation. One possible mechanism might be that NO-DCF underwent spontaneous NO loss to give the resulting intermediates diphenylaminyl radical or nitrenium cation which might evolve into NO 2 -DCF in presence of NO 2 radical or nitrite ion, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Watercress (Lepidium sativum) is consumed as a vegetable, especially by the indigenous community in New Zealand. An investigation was carried out on the accumulation of arsenic by watercress, following earlier reports of inordinate arsenic concentrations in some aquatic macrophytes collected from the Waikato River, North Island, New Zealand. The Waikato River and some other aquatic systems in Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand have elevated arsenic concentrations due to geothermal activity. Watercress, river water and sediment samples were collected from 27 sites along the Waikato river and analysed for arsenic. Greenhouse trials with watercress grown in beakers containing added arsenic were conducted to confirm the ability of this species to accumulate arsenic. At a number of sites, the concentration of arsenic in both the water and the watercress samples exceeded the World Health Organisation (WHO) limit for drinking water (0.01 mg l−1) and foodstuffs (2 mg kg−1 on a fresh weight basis). The average leaf and stem arsenic concentrations were, respectively, 29.0 and 15.9 mg kg−1 on a fresh weight basis. Plants grown in solutions of >0.4 mg l−1 arsenic concentration had fresh weight arsenic concentrations above the WHO limit. Despite these higher concentrations, arsenic levels in plants grown under greenhouse conditions were approximately fivefold lower than in plants growing in the Waikato River, possibly because under natural conditions, the watercress is rooted in sediment containing on average approximately 35 mg kg−1 arsenic. It is recommended that watercress from the Waikato River, or other areas with elevated water arsenic concentrations, should not be consumed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The increasing demand for water and irrigation in the semi-arid Bolivian Altiplano requires a better knowledge of the available resources, particularly groundwater. The aim of this study is to provide a first insight into the hydrogeological structure (0–200 m deep) and groundwater dynamics of the Katari-Lago Menor Basin aquifer located between the Eastern Cordillera and Lake Titicaca, Bolivia. This aquifer is studied using geophysical data (a total of 187 Time Domain Electromagnetic (TDEM) soundings), piezometric data (97 groundwater level measurements) and geochemical data (52 groundwater samples), combined with geological, lithological and topographical information. The results allowed identifying stratigraphic models consistent with the Quaternary sediments being hydraulically connected and behaving as a single regional basin-aquifer. This basin-aquifer is delimited by the most ancient lake invasions towards the southern, western and northern sides and by the lower limit of rock glaciers towards the eastern side. A large portion of the aquifer presents an unconfined behaviour varying from 50 to 150 m while the confined portion varies from 100 to 150 m. Groundwater flow within the Katari and Lago Menor Basin aquifer is composed of several interconnected groundwater flow systems. The main groundwater flow system starts in the high mountain ranges of the Eastern Cordillera, follows the topographic Piedmont gradient (NE to SW) and discharges in a series of wetlands. This multidisciplinary approach proved to be an appropriate method to derive a consistent picture of the hydrogeological functioning of the Katari-Lago Menor Basin aquifer. • Performance of a groundwater basin-scale multidisciplinary study. • TDEM surveys were efficient to investigate the structure of a basin-scale aquifer. • Continuity of Quaternary layers behaving hydraulically as a single aquifer. • 3D schematic structure and dynamics of a major aquifer in the Bolivian Altiplano. • Basis for the development of a 3D numerical groundwater model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]