Occurrence and risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products and endocrine disrupting chemicals in reclaimed water and receiving groundwater in China

• Nine PPCPs and five EDCs were investigated in reclaimed water and groundwater of China.
• The spatial variations of target pollutants were explored.
• Sulpiride and estriol (E3) were most frequently detected in reclaimed water.
• Bisphenol-A was most frequently detected, in groundwater.
• The risk quotients of 17α-ethinyl estradiol and E3 in groundwater exceeded 1.

Groundwater recharge using reclaimed water is considered a promising method to alleviate groundwater depletion. However, pollutants in reclaimed water could be recharged into groundwater during this process, thereby posing a risk to groundwater and human health. In this study, 12 cities in northern China were selected for reclaimed water and groundwater sampling. Analysis of the samples revealed the presence of nine pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) and five endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). In reclaimed water, all the PPCPs and EDCs were found, with sulpiride (SP) and estriol (E3) being most frequently detected. In groundwater samples, only ketoprofen (KP), mefenamic acid (MA), nalidixic acid (NA) and SP were detected among PPCPs, while bisphenol-A (BPA) was dominant among the target EDCs. The risk quotients (RQs) of all target PPCPs and EDCs except 17α-ethinyl estradiol (EE2) and E3 were below 1 in groundwater samples, indicating that EE2 and E3 deserve priority preferential treatment before recharging.