PPCPs - A human and veterinary fingerprint in the Pearl River delta and northern south China sea

Abstract

This study aimed to identify stable indicator contaminants of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) to trace the anthropogenic fingerprint of the Pearl River plume in the coastal waters of the northern South China Sea. 40 PPCPs were under investigation, of which 14 were detected along the Pearl River Estuary and 4 on the shelf of the northern South China Sea. Results show that caffeine, metoprolol, diclofenac, and carbamazepine can be utilized to detect the human impact. They are diluted along the Pearl River, as their concentrations decrease from low salinity towards high salinity. Sulfonamide antibiotics and trimethoprim are suitable to determine the veterinary and human impact. Their highest concentrations were detected along the river yet still in low saline water whereas, the origin of the organic UV-filter is diverse. Their source could not be precisely determined. Only caffeine, metoprolol, octocrylene, and PBSA were detected at the near-coastal stations in the South China Sea. They can be utilized as suitable indicators to detect an anthropogenic impact on the northern South China Sea. The detected concentrations are of low risk to organisms in the Pearl River and the northern South China Sea.

Keywords

• Pharmaceuticals
• UV-Filter
• Pollution
• Pearl River Estuary
• South China Sea