Residues, bioaccumulation, and trophic transfer of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in highly urbanized rivers affected by water diversion

Abstract

Little information is available on the bioaccumulation and trophic transfer of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in urban rivers system, particularly for those affected by water transfer. Herein, a comprehensive study was conducted to investigate the biological residues, bioaccumulation and trophic transfer of 45 PPCPs in the Nanjing Qinhuai River system under the background of water diversion projects. A total of 30 compounds were detected with a descending order of overall concentration as plankton > benthic mollusc > fish (except grass carp). Higher biological residues were observed in the downstream than those in the upstream, with the largest increase for fish (136.4 %) and the lowest increase for phytoplankton (5.4 %). However, the bioaccumulation classifications of most PPCPs were unchanged among the three different water-diversion regions. Trophic magnification factors (TMFs) of organic UV filters (homosalate, oxybenzone, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and octocrylene) ranged from 1.23 to 2.04, suggesting trophic magnification potential, while trophic dilution for pharmaceuticals (sertraline, citalopram, caffeine and roxithromycin) with TMFs of 0.42 to 0.50 were observed. A notable positive correlation was observed between the pH-dependent distribution coefficient (logDow) and the TMFs of the PPCPs (P < 0.05). Although the human health hazard assessment indicated no immediate health risk via the consumption of freshwater food, attention should be paid to the joint effects of PPCPs.