Pollution and source of eight antidepressants in municipal wastewater of Henan Province
ZHANG Xinye1, ZHAO Qiuyan1, MA Zeqian2, MA Xiaoyan1, LÜ Lingshuang3, ZHANG Jie1, HAN Zhiwei1
1. Henan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Zhengzhou, Henan 450016, China; 2. Zhoukou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Zhoukou, Henan 466000, China; 3. Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changsha, Hunan 410153, China
Abstract：Objective To analyze the mass concentration, pollution distribution and source of eight antidepressants in municipal wastewater in Henan Province, so as to provide evidence for the control of pharmaceutical pollution in regional water environment. Methods From May to October 2025, a total of 48 wastewater samples were collected from the inlets of six domestic wastewater treatment plants and the discharge outlets of two psychiatric specialty hospitals in Zhengzhou City, Luoyang City and Zhoukou City of Henan Province. The mass concentrations of eight antidepressants were determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and quantified using the internal standard method. Principal component analysis was used to calculate the variance contribution rate, and the component differences and source of antidepressants in wastewater from different pollution sources were analyzed. Results Eight antidepressants were detected in the inlet wastewater of domestic wastewater treatment plants, with an average mass concentration of 55.9 ng/L. Citalopram, sertraline and venlafaxine were the predominant compounds, with average mass concentrations of 17.1 ng/L, 10.7 ng/L and 10.2 ng/L, accounting for 30.6%, 19.1% and 18.2%, respectively. The detection rate of venlafaxine reached 100.0%, while the detection rates of other compounds ranged from 2.8% to 83.3%. Eight antidepressants were detected in the wastewater from the sewage discharge outlets of psychiatric specialized hospitals, with an average mass concentration of 2 784.3 ng/L. Venlafaxine and citalopram were the dominant compounds, with average mass concentrations of 1 639.7 ng/L and 703.6 ng/L, accounting for 58.9% and 25.3%, respectively. The detection rates of venlafaxine and citalopram were both 100.0%, and the detection rates of the remaining compounds ranged from 50.0% to 91.7%. Principal component analysis showed that the variance contribution rate of PC1 for the eight antidepressants in the inlet wastewater of domestic wastewater treatment plants was 62.5%. All eight antidepressants had positive loadings on PC1, among which citalopram, paroxetine and duloxetine showed higher loadings. The variance contribution rate of PC1 for the eight antidepressants in the wastewater from the sewage discharge outlets of psychiatric specialized hospitals was 53.6%. All eight antidepressants had negative loadings on PC1, and sertraline, citalopram and venlafaxine had relatively high loadings. Conclusions All eight antidepressants were detected in the inlet wastewater samples from 6 domestic wastewater treatment plants and the sewage discharge outlets of 2 psychiatric specialized hospitals in Henan Province, with venlafaxine and citalopram as the predominant compounds.
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