Occurrence, removal and risk assessment of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in an advanced drinking water treatment plant (ADWTP) around Taihu Lake in China.

The occurrence and removal of 39 selected pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) were investigated in an advanced drinking water treatment plant (ADWTP) around Taihu Lake. Fourteen of 39 targeted pharmaceuticals were detected in the raw water. After a series of purification processes, only indomethacin, caffeine and sulfamethoxazole were found in effluent, albeit at concentrations less than 2 ng L(-1). The results of principal component analysis suggested that three main purification processes, oxidation, coagulation combined with sedimentation and filtration combined with bio-degradation, influenced the removal performance of PPCPs. The ecotoxicological and human health risk assessment confirmed that drugs detected in effluent posed no potential toxicity and also suggested that two PPCPs (roxithromycin and sulfamethoxazole), especially sulfamethoxazole, should be seriously considered as candidates for regulatory monitoring and prioritization. Finally, the correlation between removal efficiency and risk quotient indicated that uniform removal efficiency for all PPCPs may not reflect an equal risk control in the ADWTP.