Long-term effects on the agroecosystem of using reclaimed water on commercial crops

Abstract

The use of reclaimed water for crop irrigation has been proposed as a suitable alternative for farmers in the coastal areas of Mediterranean countries, which suffer from greater water scarcity. In this work we study the impact on the water-soil-plant continuum of using reclaimed water for commercial crops irrigated over a long period, as well as the human risks associated with consuming the vegetables produced. Forty-four CECs were identified in the reclaimed water used for crop irrigation. Of these, twenty-four CECs were identified in the irrigated soil samples analysed. Tramadol, ofloxacin, tonalide, gemfibrozil, atenolol, caffeine, and cetirizine were the pharmaceuticals detected at the highest levels in the water samples (between 11 and 44 μg/L). The CECs with the highest average soil concentrations were tramadol (14.6 μg/kg), followed by cetirizine (13.2 μg/kg) and clarithromycin (12.7 μg/kg). In the irrigated vegetable samples analysed over the study period, carbamazepine, lidocaine, and caffeine were only detected at levels from 0.1 to 1.7 μg/kg. The CEC accumulation rate detected in the edible parts of the vegetables permanently irrigated with reclaimed water was very low (~1 %), whereas it was 33 % in the soils. The results revealed that consuming fruits harvested from plants irrigated for a long period with reclaimed water does not represent a risk to human health, opening the door to a circular economy of water. Nevertheless, for crop irrigation, future studies need to be conducted over longer periods and in other matrices to provide more scientific data on the safety of using reclaimed water.