title: Illicit drugs and their metabolites in 36 rivers that drain into the Bohai Sea and north Yellow Sea, north China.
abstract: Illicit drugs and their metabolites have recently been recognized as an emerging group of contaminants due to their potential ecotoxicological impact in aquatic ecosystems. To date, information on the occurrence of these compounds in the aquatic environment of China remains limited. In this study, we collected surface water samples from 36 rivers in north China that discharge into the Bohai Sea and north Yellow Sea and measured the concentrations of amphetamine-like compounds, ketamines, cocainics, and opioids. The occurrence and spatial patterns of these substances show significant differences between the rivers and regions. Two designer drugs, methamphetamine (METH) and ketamine (KET), were the most abundant compounds detected in the entire set of samples (detection frequency of 92 and 69 %). The concentrations of METH and KET ranged from <0.1 to 42.0 ng L(-1) (mean = 4.53 ng L(-1)) and <0.05 to 4.50 ng L(-1) (mean = 0.49 ng L(-1)), respectively. The high detection frequencies of METH and KET are consistent with the fact that they are the main illicit drugs consumed in China. The high concentrations of these illicit drugs and their metabolites were found in areas that have a high population density. The riverine input of total illicit drugs into the Bohai Sea and north Yellow Sea was estimated to be in the range of 684 to 1160 kg per year.
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian Maritime University, 1 Linghai Road, Dalian, 116023, Liaoning, China. degaowang@dlmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: De-Gao
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian Maritime University, 1 Linghai Road, Dalian, 116023, Liaoning, China.
authors.forename: Qiu-Da
authors.initials: QD
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, CAS, Yantai, 264003, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Ping
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian Maritime University, 1 Linghai Road, Dalian, 116023, Liaoning, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, CAS, Yantai, 264003, China.
authors.forename: Chong-Guo
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control (AEMPC), School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China.
authors.forename: Zhuang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Ecological Environment in Coastal Areas (SOA), National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, 116023, China.
authors.forename: Lin-Ke
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Ge
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000032:analysis*; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000032:analysis; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008694:Methamphetamine
keywords: Bohai Sea; Illicit drug; Ketamine; Methamphetamine; River; Surface water