OCCURRENCE AND RISKS OF PHARMACEUTICALS, PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS AND ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS IN JIULONGJIANG RIVER, SOUTH CHINA

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in environment are receiving significant attention because of their potential adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. The objectives of this study were to assess risk of PPCPs in Jiulongjiang River. Thirty-three kinds of PPCPs including nine kinds of antibiotics, eight kinds of endocrine disruptors, nine kinds of pharmaceuticals and five kinds of personal care products were detected in Jiulongjiang River from 19 sampling sites in surface water. The samples were preconcentrated by solid phase extraction for analysis. PPCPs were determined by LC MS/MS system. Within these PPCPs, 26 out of 33 compounds were detected in at least one sample. The maximum concentration reached to several pg/L. The detection frequencies of nine antibiotics detected varied from 50% to 100%, with the median concentrations ranged from 0.80 to 117.97 ng/L. However, the median concentrations for 8 endocrine disruptors ranged from 6.00 to 610.72 ng/L, with the detection frequency range of 16.00-100%. The median concentration of nine kinds of pharmaceuticals ranged from 0.81 to 104.21 ng/L. However, the maximum of personal care products reached 429.70 ng/L. Screening level risk assessment using the hazard quotient (HQ) method showed that triclosan and BPA in surface water posed high risks in Jiulongjiang River. The maximum of HQ of triclosan was up to 107. The above results indicated that pollution control in Jiulongjiang River region should be strengthened in the future, and more attention should be given to the environmental risk of PPCPs contamination.