Seasonal variations of bisphenol A in the Danube River by the municipality of Novi Sad, Serbia

Abstract

Seasonal variations of bisphenol A (BPA, IUPAC: 4,4′-(propane-2,2-diyl)diphenol) were investigated in the Danube River along the Novi Sad bank, Serbia using solid-phase extraction followed by the gas chromatographic mass spectrometric method. The obtained results confirmed the presence of BPA above the limit of quantification (6 ng L-1 ) in 22 out of 32 the water samples at all eight sampling sites. The BPA concentration varied from <6 to693 ng L-1 . The mean BPA concentration for summer (220 ng L-1 ) significantly differed from those obtained for autumn (39 ng L-1 ), winter (6 ng L-1 ) and spring (41 ng L-1 ). The risk quotients, expressed as the ratio of the 95th percentile of the measured environmental concentrations for each season and the predicted no-effect concentration were higher than one (>1) for autumn, spring and summer. The high potential risk that is attributed to the elevated summer concentrations is probably the result of increased human activities and weather conditions.