Occurence of artificial sweeteners in German groundwater aquifers: Nationwide analysis and evaluation of current monitoring data on acesulfame, cyclamate, saccharine and sucralose

Abstract

Artificial sweeteners are often used as sugar substitutes but there is still no conclusive assessment of their occurrence in and their effects on water. For sweeteners there are also no threshold values for aquatic environmental media. To assess their occurrence in groundwater in Germany, monitoring data from seven federal states were evaluated as part of this study. Acesulfame was detected most frequently, followed by cyclamate, sucralose and saccharin. Acesulfame was measured at the highest concentrations. For the other sweeteners, the maximum values were below the values for acesulfame. A decrease in acesulfame concentrations could be seen over the past few years. This can be explained by the increased degradation rates in waste water treatment plants. An increase in measured values above the limit of quantification was shown for sucralose. Overall, the data situation with respect to sweeteners is not yet sufficient for a comprehensive description of the extent of pollution.