Occurrence and Ecological Risk Assessment of Eight Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in Urban River Water and Sediments of South China

Chemicals in the water of urban areas are representative of the occurrence of these chemicals in the city surrounding water systems and reflect recent human or industrial usage of those chemicals in the sampling areas. In this study, the levels of eight endocrine-disrupting chemicals [including bisphenol analogues, parabens, and triclosan (TCS)] were determined in urban river water and sediments in Guangzhou, South China, and their related ecological risks were evaluated. The eight target chemicals were frequently detected in our samples, with concentrations ranging from not detected (ND) to 65,600 ng/L and from ND to 492 ng/g dw in river water and sediments, respectively. Among these chemicals, the three most abundant were bisphenol A (BPA) (accounting for 35% of the total amount), methyl paraben (MeP) (23%), and TCS (14%) in river water and BPA (43%), TCS (37%), and MeP (14%) in sediments. Significant correlations were found between most target EDCs, particularly MeP and TCS, in river water and sediments (both p < 0.01), indicating their similar sources and wide usage. The ecological risk assessment methods used suggested that TCS was the chemical of primary concern, with an average hazard quotient (HQ) = 1.57 (up to 11.5) in river water and an average HQ = 0.74 (up to 3.63) in sediments. In addition, the ecological risk assessment of different sampling sites indicated a suspected high-risk level for some sites in the study area.