Journal
CHEMOSPHERE
Volume 134, Issue -, Pages 452-458Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.04.102
Keywords
Cephalosporins; Emerging pollutants; Environmental photochemistry; Direct photolysis
Categories
Funding
- Universita di Torino - EU Accelerating Grants [TO_Call2_2012_0047]
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The direct and indirect photodegradation of six cephalosporins was predicted using a photochemical model, on the basis of literature values of photochemical reactivity. Environmental photodegradation would be important in surface water bodies with depth <= 2-3 m, and/or in deeper waters with low values of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC <= 1 mg C L-1). The half-life times would range from a few days to a couple of weeks in summertime. In deeper and higher-DOC waters and/or in different seasons, hydrolysis could prevail over photodegradation. The direct photolysis of cephalosporins is environmentally concerning because it is known to produce toxic intermediates. It would be a major pathway for cefazolin, an important one for amoxicillin and cefotaxime and, at pH < 6.5, for cefapirin as well. In contrast, direct photolysis would be negligible for cefradine and cefalexin. The DOC values would influence the fraction of photodegradation accounted for by direct photolysis in shallow water, to a different extent depending on the role of sensitisation by the triplet states of chromophoric dissolved organic matter. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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