Man-made emerging contaminants in the High-Arctic fjord Kongsfjorden (Svalbard Archipelago, Norway): occurrence, sources and risk assessment

This study provides the first quantitative data on the presence of 17 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) from various therapeutical classes in surface seawater from Kongsfjorden (KF, Svalbard Archipelago, Norway, 79°00′N, 11°40′E), collected over five summers (2018–2022). The PPCPs (ciprofloxacin-CIP, enrofloxacin-ENR, amoxicillin-AMX, erythromycin-ERY, sulfamethoxazole-SMX, N4-acetylsulfamethoxazole-N4-SMX, carbamazepine-CBZ, diclofenac-DCF, ibuprofen-IBU, acetylsalicylic acid-ASP, paracetamol-PAR, caffeine-CFF, triclosan-TCL, N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide-DEET, estrone-E1, 17β-estradiol-E2 and 17α-ethinyl estradiol-EE2) were also analysed in sewage from the wastewater treatment plant, serving Ny-Ålesund, located on KF's southern shore. Samples were processed using solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass-spectrometry. An environmental risk assessment (ERA) was conducted to evaluate ecological and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) risks and the cumulative risk from the chemical mixture. PPCPs detected in sewage were also found in seawater, with the highest concentrations in sewage for CFF (151.9 ± 8.7 ng/L) and ASP (122.5 ± 9.4 ng/L). In seawater, the main contributors were ASP (39.2 ± 12.9 ng/L) and EE2 (32.5 ± 11.9 ng/L), suggesting influences from local emissions, fjord circulation, and broader oceanic and atmospheric transport. The ERA identified CIP, DCF, IBU, CFF, TCL, E1, E2 and EE2 as potentially harmful to the Arctic marine ecosystem. When evaluated as a mixture, all compounds contributed additively to the overall risk. The AMR risk from the antibiotic ciprofloxacin was found to be low. These findings emphasize the need for enhanced monitoring of PPCPs and comprehensive ERAs of chemical mixtures to guide management strategies and protect sensitive Arctic ecosystems.