Chen Chong, Bu Chengcheng, Wang Qi, Zhang Yutong, Xu Shaopeng, Hua Yu, Jia Ruolan, Lin Huiju, Wang Xiaolei, Gan Zhiwei, Xiong Xiong, Ma Limin, Leung Kenneth Mei Yee, Ruan Yuefei
State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution (SKLMP) and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China; State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
J Hazard Mater. 2025 Sep 5;495:138935. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138935. Epub 2025 Jun 14.
Pharmaceuticals have gained global attention in recent decades due to their substantially growing demand and ecological impacts. This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the pollution status of 64 target pharmaceuticals in water (i.e., dissolved phase), suspended particulate matter, and sediment in the Yangtze River Basin (YRB). Across the three environmental compartments, our results uncovered the presence of 49-58 and 23-62 pharmaceuticals in YRB and Huangpu River (HR), respectively. The downstream area of HR showed significantly higher cumulative concentrations of detected pharmaceuticals compared to the other studied sections in the YRB (p < 0.05), reaching 4995.61 ± 4288.16 ng/L in the dissolved phase. The suspended particulate matter demonstrates a higher capacity to adsorb pharmaceuticals from the dissolved phase in comparison to surface sediment, and the organic carbon content in sediments emerged as a critical factor influencing the distribution behavior of pharmaceuticals. Suspect screening confirmed the presence of 170 compounds in the three environmental compartments, including 26 predicted transformation products found in this study and 144 reported pharmaceuticals and transformation products from previous studies. Based on the toxicological prioritization index score, diclofenac was ranked the top priority chemical of concern. The results underscore the estuary region of YRB as a pollution hotspot that gathers and transports pharmaceutical residues from upstreams into the East China Sea. Moreover, our findings provide a foundation for implementing pollutant control measures and effective environmental management strategies in this densely populated river basin.
近几十年来，由于药品需求大幅增长及其生态影响，药品已受到全球关注。本研究旨在全面调查长江流域水体（即溶解相）、悬浮颗粒物和沉积物中64种目标药品的污染状况。在这三个环境介质中，我们的研究结果分别发现长江流域和黄浦江中存在49 - 58种和23 - 62种药品。与长江流域其他研究断面相比，黄浦江下游区域检测到的药品累积浓度显著更高（p < 0.05），溶解相浓度达到4995.61 ± 4288.16 ng/L。与表层沉积物相比，悬浮颗粒物对溶解相中药品的吸附能力更强，沉积物中的有机碳含量是影响药品分布行为的关键因素。可疑物筛查确认在这三个环境介质中存在170种化合物，包括本研究中发现的26种预测转化产物以及先前研究报道的144种药品和转化产物。根据毒理学优先排序指数得分，双氯芬酸被列为最优先关注的化学品。结果强调长江口区域是一个污染热点，它收集并将上游的药品残留输送到东海。此外，我们的研究结果为在这个人口密集的流域实施污染物控制措施和有效的环境管理策略提供了基础。
