Emerging Contaminants in Sediments as Markers of Anthropogenic Inputs in Santos Estuarine System: Analytical Method and Occurrence Data

The occurrence of emerging contaminants (ECs) in the aquatic systems under influence of urban areas have been considered as an environmental marker of anthropogenic contamination. In this study, 10 ECs were investigated in sediment samples from Santos Bay using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method with determination by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The method showed acceptable accuracy (51-116%) and precision (relative standard deviation (RSD) ≤ 9), limits of quantification in ng g-1 levels and matrix effect lower than 29%. Environmental occurrence of benzophenone-3, caffeine, ketoconazole and triclocarban was detected in two campaigns (2015 and 2019), with concentrations ranging from