Sucralose and acesulfame as an indicator of domestic wastewater contamination in Wuhan surface water

Artificial sweeteners (ASs) are applied widely as sucrose substitutes in food, pharmaceuticals, and personal-care products, which results in their release into surface water. The occurrence of ASs in aquatic environments in China has rarely been reported. In this study, we determined the concentration of seven ASs in surface water and sediment samples from 16 lakes in Wuhan. The sum of the ASs concentration ranged from 0.89 to 20.6 mu g/L in the surface water, with a mean value of 4.96 +/- 5.16 mu g/L. The most abundant AS was sucralose (SUC), with a concentration from 0.33 to 18.0 mu g/L, followed by acesulfame (ACE) (0.40-2.78 mu g/L), saccharin (SAC) (< MDL to 1.86 mu g/L), and cyclamate (CYC) (< MDL to 2.22 mu g/L). SUC and ACE accounted for 90% +/- 8% of the total ASs in the surface water. The Sigma(4) ASs sediment concentrations ranged from 1.71 to 6.49 ng/g of the dry weight (dw, mean value 3.03 +/- 1.03 ng/g dw). SAC, CYC, and ACE were detected in sediments (< MDL to 4.17 ng/g dw), with SAC as the dominant AS. In surface water, the Sigma(4) ASs concentrations of Hanyang station were higher than those of Hankou, while the Sigma(4) ASs concentrations in sediment samples from different regions showed no significant difference. The ASs concentrations in the surface water and sediment in winter were significantly higher than those in summer. Relatively higher concentrations and detected frequencies of SUC and ACE were found in surface water samples, whereas these two ASs were absent in background samples, which indicates that SUC and ACE can be used as potential indicators of wastewater contamination in Wuhan, China.