Assessing the diurnal variability of pharmaceutical and personal care products in a full-scale activated sludge plant

► Investigated the variations in influent wastewater pharmaceutical and musk loadings. ► A high number of different pharmaceutical and musk compounds was analysed. ► Many pharmaceutical groups displayed different characteristic patterns. ► A representative steady-state pattern was observable for musks, not pharmaceuticals. ► The results are relevant to the design of sampling campaigns for modelling purposes.