Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) enter aquatic environments via sewage treatment facilities and their potentially toxic effects on biota, particularly aquatic organisms, are of considerable concern. In this study, we investigated the acute toxicity of selected PPCPs on a freshwater crustacean (Thamnocephalus platyurus) and a fish species (Oryzias latipes). The 24-hr median lethal concentration (LC50) values of ibuprofen, mefenamic acid, indometacin, carbamazepine, propranolol, ifenprodil, clarithromycin and triclosan for T. platyurus were estimated to be 19.59, 3.95, 16.14, > 100, 10.31, 4.43, 94.23 and 0.47 mg/l respectively. Conversely, the 96-hr LC50 values for these PPCPs were estimated at > 100, 8.04, 81.92, 45.87, 11.40, 8.71, > 100 and 0.60 mg/l for O. latipes, respectively. The toxic sensitivity of T. platyurus to these PPCPs, except for carbamazepine, was therefore higher than for O. latipes. No acute toxicity effects were associated with PPCPs, such as atenolol, disopyramide, famotidine, fluconazole, erythromycin and levofloxacin, in the two aquatic organisms at the concentrations tested in this study (> 100 mg/l). These findings may help us to understand the potential biological effects and risks associated with PPCP exposure in aquatic organisms. Further long-term studies are required to fully assess the growth and reproduction of these compounds on aquatic biota.

The present study demonstrates the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in surface water from the Mankyung River, South Korea. Samples collected at 5 Sites along theMankyung River were assayed using a liquid chromatograph coupled with a tandem mass spectrometer (LC/MS/MS) for 13 PPCPs. Overall, 11 out of the 13 selected PPCPs, which span a range of therapeutic classes and one personal care product, were detected in surface water samples collected from the Mankyung River. The most prevalent contaminants were ibuprofen, with average concentrations ranging from not detected (ND) to 414 ng/l, followed by carbamazepine (ND-595 ng/l), atenolol (ND-690 ng/l), clarithromycin (ND-443 ng/l), mefenamic acid (ND-326 ng/l), erythromycin (ND-137 ng/l), fluconazole (ND-111 ng/l), levofloxacin (ND-87.4 ng/l), indomethacin (ND-33.5 ng/l), propranolol (ND-40.1 ng/l), ifenprodil (ND-35.4 ng/l), disopyramide (ND) and triclosan (ND). PPCP concentrations were highest in surface water samples collected downstream from a sewage treatment plant (STP), implying possibly insufficient removal efficiency of the PPCPs in the STP. Contamination by PPCPs such as ibuprofen, carbamazepine, atenolol, mefenamic acid and clarithromycin was high in the Mankyung River compared to concentrations in other countries

Ammonia gas sensing properties of a single‐layer doped with 5 mole percent (m/o) [ (5 m/o)] sensor and some double‐layer sensors with a catalyst layer on it have been investigated. The single‐layer sensor with electrodes at the innermost region exhibited low sensitivity due to interference from produced as a result of complete oxidation of , especially at temperatures higher than 530°C. A slight enhancement in sensitivity was achieved by coating the (5 m/o) sensing layer with a catalyst layer. A more remarkable sensitivity enhancement was realized by changing the electrode position of double‐layer sensors from the innermost to the interface between the sensing and the catalyst layer, especially when loaded with 0.5 weight percent Ir was employed as a catalyst layer. Based on the catalytic activity of the sensing and the catalyst materials, possible sensing mechanism of sensors is discussed.