title: Spatial distribution, temporal variation and risks of parabens and their chlorinated derivatives in urban surface water in Beijing, China.
abstract: The occurrence and distribution of 13 target compounds, including eight parabens, four chlorinated parabens and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA), were detected in surface water samples at 35 sampling sites in the Beijing River system, China. The surface water samples were collected from the main rivers and lakes in the urban area monthly from July 2013 to June 2014 (except the frozen period). Laboratory analyses revealed that parabens were ubiquitous in the surface water of Beijing. PHBA was the predominant compound in the surface water samples, with the average concentration of 239ngL(-1), followed by the total amount of chlorinated parabens (average 50.1ng/L) and parabens (average 44.3ng/L). It is noteworthy that octylparaben with longer chain was firstly detected in the surface water. Significant difference was observed for paraben concentrations from different sampling sites, and the highest level of parabens was found in the Xiaotaihou River, which was mainly due to the untreated sewage discharge. Seasonal variation of target compounds in the urban surface water was also studied, and parabens exhibited a different temporal variation from chlorinated derivatives. A combination of factors including high residual chlorine level and water temperature as well as intense ultraviolet radiation might enhance the persistence of chlorinated parabens in chlorinated water during the wet season. Risk assessment showed that parabens and their chlorinated derivatives are not likely to produce biological effects on aquatic ecosystems at current levels in the surface water of Beijing.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Wenhui
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Lihong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Yali
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China. Electronic address: liujm@ustb.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jiemin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China. Electronic address: caiyaqi@rcees.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Yaqi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cai
mesh_terms: D000068476:Beijing; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D010226:Parabens / Q000032:analysis*; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012621:Seasons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D010226:Parabens; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Parabens; Risk assessment; Spatial distribution; Temporal variation; Urban surface water