Detection of sewage contamination in urban groundwater by using sewage markers and the source-identification

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Sensitive analytical method of artificial sweeteners by using tandem-mass spectrometer coupled with HPLC with online-extractor was applied to groundwater in Tokyo. Artificial sweeteners were widely detected in groundwater, i.e., 97 samples among 118 springwater and wellwater samples, indicating that sewage contamination in groundwater occurs widely. Based on the acesulfame concentrations in unconfined groundwater and sewage, proportion of sewage in the groundwater was calculated ~ 1.4%. At 12 among 13 locations in eastern part of Tokyo, cyclamate was detected in confined groundwater deeper than 60m. Cyclamate has not been used since 1970. Detection of the legacy contaminant in the deep groundwater may be explained by the mechanism that sewage was introduced to soil surface as old-fashioned treatment methodology and contaminated shallow unconfined water and the sewage-contaminated water mass was gradually transported down- and east-ward along inclined impermeable layer in Tokyo.