Spatiotemporal distribution, source apportionment, and ecological risk of corticosteroids in the urbanized river system of Guangzhou, China

We investigated the occurrence and distribution of 24 selected corticosteroids (CSs) in the surface water of the Zhujiang River (ZR) system in Guangzhou, a highly urbanized river system receiving both treated and untreated municipal wastewater effluents. Twenty-two and sixteen CSs were detected in the tributaries and the main stream of the ZR system, and their concentrations ranged from less than the method quantification limit (fluticasone propionate) to 94 ng/L (clobetasone butyrate) and from 0.24 ng/L (cortisol) to 7.2 ng/L (clobetasone butyrate), respectively. We observed higher total CSs (∑CSs) concentrations in the tributaries (11–396 ng/L) relative to the main stream (5.5–33 ng/L) due to their proximity to densely populated residential areas. ∑CSs concentrations in the dry season were generally higher than those in the wet season due to low dilution from decreased river discharge. Principal component analysis and multiple linear regression analysis identified untreated domestic sewage to be the dominant source of CSs (t2, contribution rate: 42.7%) in the urban rivers. Additional source contributions were from naturally attenuated treated and/or raw sewage (t1, 21.5%) and effluents from wastewater treatment plants (t3, 26.7%). CSs contribution was dominated by t2 in the dry season, and the contributions from t1, t2, and t3 showed no significant difference in the wet season. Risk assessment inferred that the ZR system is at medium to high ecological risk from CSs and is therefore a potential threat to the health of aquatic ecosystems. To prevent CSs pollution, our results demonstrate the need to develop effective control strategies to minimize the discharge of untreated waste to nearby rivers and to improve the capacity of wastewater treatment plants in Guangzhou. Further, we demonstrate that the concentrations of cortisone and fludrocortisone acetate are effective chemical indicators to estimate the level of natural and synthetic CSs contamination in urban rivers. [Display omitted] •Corticosteroids (CSs) were prevalent in urban riverine waters of Guangzhou City.•Untreated domestic sewage is the major source of CSs in the urban rivers.•Most tributaries were at medium to high ecological risk.•The distribution, source apportionment, and ecological risk of CSs showed seasonal and spatial variations.•Cortisone and fludrocortisone acetate are chemical indicators of CSs pollution.