Spatiotemporal distributions, source apportionment and potential risks of 15 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in Qinzhou Bay, South China

In the present study, we investigated the spatiotemporal distributions and risks of 15 non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in surface water collected from Qinzhou Bay, China during the summer and winter of 2017. Our results showed that 14 out of the 15 target PPCPs were detected, and they had higher concentrations in the winter than the summer, except for N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide and indomethacin. Furthermore, N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide and caffeine respectively were the dominant contaminants in the summer and winter, with their highest concentrations up to 33.7 ng/L and 26.8 ng/L. Generally, concentrations of PPCPs were higher in the inner bay than outer bays, with untreated sewage and effluents of sewage treatment plants (STPs) as main pollution sources. The results of the risk assessment indicate that diclofenac may pose risks to aquatic organisms. Overall, our results provided occurrence and important insights into the risk management of PPCPs in Qinzhou Bay.