This study investigates the potential contamination of cash register employees in the Slovak Republic with 148 selected pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, and their metabolites. Of these, 42 substances were detected, and it was found that the target group-cashiers-regularly handle large volumes of banknotes, increasing their exposure to contaminants compared to the general population. This study revealed that commonly prescribed and over-the-counter medications significantly contribute to the contamination of cash registers. This study found that cashiers exhibited notably higher detection rates of antibiotics, including penicillin-V (2×), azithromycin (23×), and erythromycin (up to 64×), than the general population. Additionally, there was an alarming increase in illegal substances, with methamphetamine levels rising fivefold and cocaine up to fifteenfold. This study highlights a broader environmental concern, suggesting that routine handling of contaminated banknotes may lead to the transfer of micropollutants. Furthermore, personal hygiene practices, particularly handwashing, could play a role in introducing pharmaceuticals and narcotics into wastewater, potentially contributing several milligrams of contaminants daily.

• Klíčová slova
• LC-MS/MS analysis, banknote contamination, cashiers, environmental micropollutants, occupational exposure, pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs, surface transfer, wastewater pollution,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Various types of micropollutants, e.g., pharmaceuticals and their metabolites and resistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms, are usually found in hospital wastewaters. The aim of this paper was to study the presence of 74 frequently used pharmaceuticals, legal and illegal drugs, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in 5 hospital wastewaters in Slovakia and Czechia and to compare the efficiency of several advanced oxidations processes (AOPs) for sanitation and treatment of such highly polluted wastewaters. The occurrence of micropollutants and antibiotic-resistant bacteria was investigated by in-line SPE-LC-MS/MS technique and cultivation on antibiotic and antibiotic-free selective diagnostic media, respectively. The highest maximum concentrations were found for cotinine (6700 ng/L), bisoprolol (5200 ng/L), metoprolol (2600 ng/L), tramadol (2400 ng/L), sulfamethoxazole (1500 ng/L), and ranitidine (1400 ng/L). In the second part of the study, different advanced oxidation processes, modified Fenton reaction, ferrate(VI), and oxidation by boron-doped diamond electrode were tested in order to eliminate the abovementioned pollutants. Obtained results indicate that the modified Fenton reaction and application of boron-doped diamond electrode were able to eliminate almost the whole spectrum of selected micropollutants with efficiency higher than 90%. All studied methods achieved complete removal of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria present in hospital wastewaters.

• Klíčová slova
• Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Boron-doped diamond electrode, Fenton-like reaction, Ferrate(VI), Hospital effluents characterization, Wastewater,
• MeSH
• bakteriální léková rezistence MeSH
• bor MeSH
• chemické látky znečišťující vodu analýza   MeSH
• chromatografie kapalinová MeSH
• diamant MeSH
• elektrody MeSH
• léčivé přípravky analýza   MeSH
• nemocnice MeSH
• odpad tekutý - odstraňování přístrojové vybavení   metody   MeSH
• odpadní voda analýza   chemie   mikrobiologie   MeSH
• oxidace-redukce MeSH
• peroxid vodíku chemie   MeSH
• tandemová hmotnostní spektrometrie MeSH
• zakázané drogy analýza   MeSH
• zdravotnický odpad MeSH
• železo chemie   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH
• Slovenská republika MeSH
• Názvy látek
• bor MeSH
• chemické látky znečišťující vodu MeSH
• diamant MeSH
• Fenton's reagent MeSH Prohlížeč
• ferrate ion MeSH Prohlížeč
• léčivé přípravky MeSH
• odpadní voda MeSH
• peroxid vodíku MeSH
• zakázané drogy MeSH
• zdravotnický odpad MeSH
• železo MeSH