Distribution and Ecological Risk Assessment of PPCPs in Drinking Water Sources of Henan Province

The occurrence of emerging pollutants pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in aquatic environments has potential adverse effects on aquatic organisms, and the presence of PPCPs in drinking water sources is very likely to cause harm to human health. The PPCPs pollution in five typical drinking water sources in Henan province was investigated. Moreover, the source of pollutants was analyzed and the relevant ecological risks were evaluated. The results showed that the cumulative concentrations of 20 PPCPs at different sampling sites ranged from 24.2 to 317.6 ng·L-1. Caffeine (CFI) was the highest level contaminant, with the concentration up to 186.4 ng·L-1, followed by sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and ofloxacin (OFC), with detected concentrations up to 70.8 ng·L-1 and 24.2 ng·L-1, respectively. The pollution of PPCPs in Heigangkou drinking water sources was higher than those of other drinking water sources. The comparation of the labile indicator CFI and the conservative indicator carbamazepine (CBZ) concentrations implies that the pollutions from the upstream water and around scattered domestic sewage might be responsible for the PPCPs present in these drinking water sources. The risk quotient (RQ) calculation results indicated that the detected PPCPs in 5 drinking water sources have moderate to high risks to algae, while low to moderate risks to invertebrates and fish. Therefore, attention should be paid to relevant pollution control.