Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products and associated environmental risks in the central and lower Yangtze river, China

• Occurrence of PPCPs was studied in the central and lower Yangtze and four large lakes.
• Fifteen out of twenty selected PPCPs were detected in the water samples.
• Caffeine and erythromycin were the dominant PPCPs components in the Yangtze River.
• A high risk was found for erythromycin, clarithromycin, and clindamycin.

Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) residues are being highlighted around the world as of emerging concern in surface waters. Here the occurrence of PPCPs in the central and lower Yangtze River, along with four large freshwater lakes within the river basin (Dongting, Poyang, Tai, and Chao) was reported. Fifteen out of twenty selected PPCPs were detected in the collected surface water samples. Caffeine, paraxanthine, sulfamethazine, and clindamycin were detected with 100 percent frequency in the Yangtze River. In the river, the highest average concentration was observed for erythromycin (296 ng L−1), followed by caffeine (142 ng L−1) and paraxanthine (41 ng L−1). In the four lakes, total PPCP concentrations were much higher in the Chao (1547 ng L−1) and Tai (1087 ng L−1) lakes compared to the Poyang (108 ng L−1) and Dongting (137 ng L−1) lakes. Lincomycin and clindamycin were most abundant in the lakes, especially in the Tai Lake. Environmental risk assessment for the worst case scenario was assessed using calculated risk quotients, and indicates a high environmental risk of erythromycin and clarithromycin in the Yangtze River, clarithromycin in the Chao Lake, and clindamycin in the Tai Lake.