Manuel M. Murillo

Reconnaissance of selected PPCP compounds in Costa Rican surface waters.

Eighty-six water samples were collected in early 2009 from Costa Rican surface water and coastal locations for the analysis of 34 pharmaceutical and personal care product compounds (PPCPs). Sampling sites included areas receiving treated and untreated wastewaters, and urban and rural runoff. PPCPs were analyzed using a combination of solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The five most frequently detected compounds were doxycycline (77%), sulfadimethoxine (43%), salicylic acid (41%), triclosan (34%) and caffeine (29%). Caffeine had the maximum concentration of 1.1 mg L(-1), possibly due to coffee bean production facilities upstream. Other compounds found in high concentrations include: doxycycline (74 μg L(-1)), ibuprofen (37 μg L(-1)), gemfibrozil (17 μg L(-1)), acetominophen (13 μg L(-1)) and ketoprofen (10 μg L(-1)). The wastewater effluent collected from an oxidation pond had similar detection and concentrations of compounds compared to other studies reported in the literature. Waters receiving runoff from a nearby hospital showed higher concentrations than other areas for many PPCPs. Both caffeine and carbamazepine were found in low frequency compared to other studies, likely due to enhanced degradation and low usage, respectively. Overall concentrations of PPCPs in surface waters of Costa Rica are inline with currently reported occurrence data from around the world, with the exception of doxycycline.

Distribution and transport of sediment-bound metal contaminants in the rio grande de tarcoles, costa rica (Central America)

Abstract A reconnaissance survey of the extent of metal contamination in the Rio Grande de Tarcoles river system of Costa Rica indicated high levels of chromium (Cr) in the fine-grain bed sediments ( μ m) of tributaries downstream from leather tanneries (50–83 times Cr background or 3000–5000 μg/g). In the main channel of the river downstream of the San Jose urban area, Cr contamination in sediments was 4–6 times background and remained relatively constant over 50 km to the mouth of the river. Sediments from a mangrove swamp at the river mouth had Cr levels 2–3 times above background. Similar patterns of dilution were observed for lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) sediment contamination, although the contamination levels were lower. The high affinity of Cr towards particulate phases, probably as Cr(III), allows the use of Cr contamination levels for delineating regions of deposition of fine-grained sediments and dilution of particle associated contaminants during transport and deposition.

Benthic invertebrates of a tropical estuary: Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica

Summary Crustaceans showed considerable differential distribution in response to a variety of features. Portunid crabs may be responding to salinity gradients, peak abundance of shrimp may be associated with detritus from rivers flowing into the Gulf and mantis shrimp may be influenced by sediment type and biotic interactions. Because of the ecologic and economic value of crustaceans these findings are significant in terms of red tides (Hargraves and Viquez 1981) and potential perturbations in the Gulf of Nicoya. Differences between shallow tropical marine ecosystems and temperate counter-parts concern chemical and physical characteristics (temperature, light, rainfall, nutrients), community structure (species diversity, population density, biomass), and biological functions (primary productivity, growth rates, resource sharing) (Johannes and Betzer 1975). Spight (1977) posed some generalizations concerning differences between tropical marine and temperate communities. These generalizations included: (1) ...