[Detection Method, Distribution, and Risk Assessment of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Yellow Sea...

At present, research findings on pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in coastal areas are still unclear, and there is a need to develop a method to detect more PPCPs simultaneously in seawater. In this study, nine compounds of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, lipid regulators. and stimulants were selected as analytes. Solid phase extraction (SPE) was used to extract the compounds, which were then analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). The optimum experimental conditions, such as the filler, eluent, pH, flow rate, and the reduction of matrix effect were optimized during the SPE. The results showed that the best extraction column was CNW HLB, the best eluent was methanol:acetonitrile (1:1, volume ratio), the best eluent volume was 6 mL, the best pH was 7, the best flow rate was 5 mL·min^-1, the amount of EDTA-Na₂ added was 1 g, and the best concentration multiple was 500. The linear regression equations of all PPCPs had good linearity. Correlation coefficients were>0.999, recovery rates were between 82%-106%, relative standard deviations were between 1.6%-14%, and detection limits were between 0.01-2 ng·L^-1, thus satisfying the requirement of trace analysis in seawater. Distribution characteristics and sources of PPCPs were studied in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea during summer 2018. All nine PPCPs were detected and the main pollutants were NAP, IBU, GEM, CAF, and ASA. High concentrations of PPCPs were generally detected in the nearshore area and displayed conspicuous decreasing tendencies from the inshore towards the offshore. The concentrations of PPCPs in the Yellow Sea were higher than of those in the East China Sea, and this was related to there being more sources of pollutions and poor water exchange capacity in the Yellow Sea. Principal component analysis showed that the main source of PPCPs was terrestrial input. The environmental risk assessment of PPCPs indicated that risk quotients (RQs) of IBU and NAP (0.1-1) posed a medium risk to the aquatic environment, while others posed low risk to organisms.