The profiling of elements and pesticides in surface water in Nanjing, China with global comparisons

Abstract

The study on high-throughput determination covering various kinds of elements and pesticides in surface water is rarely reported. The surface water samples were collected from the Yangtze River, the Qinhuai River and the Xuanwu Lake in Nanjing which is a large and populous city in eastern China, and elementome (47 elements) and pesticide exposome (60 pesticides) were profiled, which were characterized by univariate and multivariate statistical analysis, literature comparison, and risk assessment. A total of 47 elements and 47 pesticides were detectable. By combining the results of univariate and multivariate statistical analysis, we consistently found that the levels of elements in the Qinhuai River were relatively higher than those in the Yangtze River and the Xuanwu Lake, mainly including rare earth elements and macroelements. The concentrations of isoprocarb, profenofos and simazine in the Yangtze River were relatively higher than those in the Qinhuai River and the Xuanwu Lake. Based on literature search and our data, the results about global element and pesticide concentrations in surface water were summarized. The surface water in Nanjing showed notably higher aluminum level when compared to the level around the world. The risk assessment suggested that arsenic posed a considerable carcinogenic risk. This study provided a large volume of first-hand information about the profiles of elements and pesticides in surface water, which can be used for warning of surface water pollution and preventing potential hazardous effect on public health.