Distribution Characteristics Of PPCPs In Main Rivers And Aquatic Organisms In Guangdong Province? China

To investigate the occurrence,distribution,and potential risks of pharmaceuticals and personal care products(PPCPs)in the coastal area of Southeastern China,a total of 29 PPCPs in water and aquatic organisms(fish,crab,and shellfish)from 7 coastal rivers of the Chaoshan area and 3 coastal rivers of the Pearl River Delta were determined using solid-phase extraction(SPE)and high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS).The spatial distribution of PPCPs in the river and its organism was systematically studied,and the potential risk of PPCPs to the aquatic ecosystems in the typical coastal estuaries was evaluated by using biological enrichment factors and RQ evaluation model.Finally,a comprehensive comparative analysis with the PPCPs levels in the global coastal area was conducted to reveal the pollution condition of PPCPs in the coastal area of southeastern China.The research results are as follow:(1)23 kinds of PPCPs were detected in the rivers and organisms of Chaoshan area,and the average concentration of the detected PPCPs in rivers and their organisms was in range of 2.63~ 237 ng/L and 0.68~ 10.7 ng/g.The maximum concentration was observed for caffeine and sulfamethoxazole,which were widely distributed in the Chaoshan rivers;the PPCPs with the highest concentration detected in organisms were trimethoprim and sulfathiazole,which were dominant PPCPs in organisms.A total of 26 kinds of PPCPs were detected in the Pearl River Delta River and organisms,with an average concentration of 2.63~ 237 ng/L and 0.68 ~ 10.7 ng/g.The maximum level of caffeine and sulfamethazine appears to be in the rivers of the Pearl River Delta,while trimethoprim and sulfathiazole have the highest concentrations detected in organisms.(2)The composition and spatial distribution of PPCPs in rivers and their organis ms vary greatly.The concentrations of PPCPs in the rivers,such as Huanggang river,Lianjiang river and Huangjiang river,of Chaoshan area were generally higher than other rivers.The sulfamethoxazole was dominant in Huanggang river,while the caffeine was dominant in Lianjiang river.The total concentrations of PPCPs in fish was significantly higher than that in crabs and shellfish.The higher concentrations were found in the organism in Hanjiang,Huanganghe and Luo rivers.The spatial distribution of PPCPs in the rivers of the Pearl River Delta shows that the PPCPs concentrations in the two rivers in the Northwest and the Tan River were higher than that of the Dongjiang and Pearl rivers.The SAs were the dominant PPCPs in Xijing river,and the highest concentration was found for caffeine in Beijiang river,and the concentrations of PPCPs in the organisms of the Pearl River(including Xijiang,Beijiang and Dongjiang)were higher than that of other rivers.(3)The BCF value in fish is higher and more prone to bioaccumulation.The BCF values in fishes were higher than crabs and shellfish,indicating it is more likely to be bioaccumulated.The results of RQ showed that the risks to fleas and algae were significantly higher than fish.The sulfamethoxazole,erythromycin,and sulfadiazine posed significant ecological risks to the algae in the Huangganghe and Lianjiang rivers,and Huangjiang rivers fleas,respectively.The erythromycin,and sulfadiazine were found to pose significant threats to the algae in the Xijiang and Tanjiang rivers,and the fleas in the Zhujiang,Tanjiang and Shenzhen rivers.(4)The detection rates of PPCPs are similar in Chaoshan and Pearl River Delta rivers,indicating that the usage habits of PPCPs almost similar in the two regions.Yet the slight difference is the detection rate of PPCPs in Chaoshan and Pearl River Delta organisms.The concentration of PPCPs in the Pearl River Delta organisms is greater than that in Chaoshan organisms.Globally,the pollution of sulfamethoxazole in the Guangdong area of the southeast coast is at a high level;the sulfamethazine is at a medium to high pollution level;the caffeine is at a low to medium pollution level;and trimethoprim and anhydroerythromycin have low levels of pollution in the study area.Caffeine and ibuprofen are the most common PPCPs in the global water environment.