Occurrence of Pharmaceuticals and Other Anthropogenic Compounds in the Wastewater Effluent of Arctic Expedition Cruise Ships

Cruise ship traffic in polar regions is increasing, but
we lack
a good understanding of the emissions from these ships to sensitive
marine environments. Wastewater discharges may result in the release
of contaminants of emerging concern into such environments. Treated
wastewater from three expedition cruise ships was collected and analyzed
with a focus on pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and industrial
chemicals. Samples were screened using data-dependent acquisition
using liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS).
More than 160 compounds were identified at Schymanski level 1 or 2
(SL1 or SL2, respectively) in treated wastewater across all three
ships. Twenty-seven compounds were identified in wastewater from all
three ships, suggesting their potential wider presence in ship wastewater
and warranting further investigation. For all ships, pharmaceuticals
dominated in terms of the number of compounds identified at SL1 or
SL2 (43–59%), primarily cardiovascular medications, followed
by industrial chemicals (21–31%) and natural compounds (12–17%).
Multiple antibiotics were identified at SL1, raising concerns that
ship wastewater effluent could contribute to the undesired spread
of antibiotic-resistance genes. With the ongoing growth of the cruise
industry and uncertainties related to impacts on sensitive marine
environments, further investigation of ship wastewater emissions is
recommended.