Sources, distribution and potential risks of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in Qingshan Lake basin, Eastern China

Abstract In this study, we examined the occurrence and distribution of 12 selected pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in Qingshan Lake basin and evaluated their potential ecological risks. Caffeine was the dominant compound among all selected PPCPs in the aqueous phase (23.8–344.7 ng/L). Sediment release contributed minimally to caffeine levels found in the aqueous phase of Qingshan Lake. Concentrations of selected PPCPs in dry season water samples were generally higher than those in the water samples obtained during the wet or median water seasons. The risks of residual caffeine in water on aqueous organisms was minimal (risk quotient values below 0.01). Sulfamethoxazole and triclocarban posed the highest environmental risks despite their low concentrations (below 25 ng/L in water and 10 μg/kg in sediment) in Qingshan Lake basin. The risks produced by selected PPCPs in sediments were generally higher than in the aqueous phase.