Assessment of occurrence, source appointment, and ecological risks of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the water–sediment interface of Qiantang River in the Hangzhou region

Abstract

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have received global attention owing to their potential risks to human health and the ecological environment. However, limited research has explored the occurrence and ecological risks of PPCPs in the Qiantang River (QTR). QTR, the largest water system in Zhejiang Province, China, is significantly influenced by human activities. This study investigated the occurrence, distribution, and ecological risks of 10 types of PPCPs in both surface water and sediment within QTR. The findings revealed that the concentrations of PPCPs detected in surface water ranged from 81.26 to 149.45 ng L⁻¹ during the wet season (April) and from 98.66 to 198.55 ng L⁻¹ during the dry season (September). Moreover, in the sediments, PPCP concentration ranged from 63.24 to 80.66 and 72.54 to 75.06 ng per g dw during both wet and dry seasons, respectively. Among the selected PPCPs, triclosan (TCS) exhibited the highest concentration across, different phases and seasons, followed by benzotriazole in surface water. The analysis of sediment–water equilibrium distribution indicated that the diffusion tendency of PPCPs was closely correlated with their molecular weights. Particularly, TCS exhibited dynamic equilibrium between water and sediment. Principal component analysis and positive matrix factorization model results indicated similar pollution sources for the detected PPCPs. The dominant sources of the detected PPCPs were identified as wastewater of electroplating enterprises, discharge from wastewater treatment plants, and domestic sewage. The ecological risk assessment based on the risk quotient method revealed that TCS with the highest detected concentration posed a high risk in surface water and a low risk in sediment across all sampling sites. However, other detected PPCPs showed either no or low risks. Additionally, PPCPs showed a higher ecological risk during the dry season than during the wet season.