Pollution characteristic analysis of parabens compounds in typical lakes in Beijing

In order to study the pollution level and distribution characteristics of parabens (PBs) in lakes, the pollution status of 14 PBs in typical lakes in Beijing was investigated and analyzed. The water samples of a lake in Beijing were collected in both winter and summer, and detected by solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry. The results showed that ten kinds of PBs were detected with high level in the lake, among which methylparaben (MeP, 24.8 ng/L) and propylparaben (PrP, 44.8 ng/L) were the dominant compounds. The concentrations of the target compounds detected at the same sampling site changed seasonally, and the concentrations of chlorinated parabens in spring were lower than those in winter. However, in the winter near the outlet of the wastewater treatment plant, the concentrations of chlorinated parabens were higher than those at other sampling sites. The external sewage was the main source of PBs in the lake water, and the concentration of MeP at the sampling site of the outlet of the power plant in spring (24.8 ng/L) was higher than that in winter (1.30 ng/L). The survey results showed that the species and concentration level of PBs in the lake were medium comparing with those reported in the researches of other nations. The pollution of PBs in the lake mainly came from the surrounding sewage discharge, and the concentration of PBs varied greatly in different seasons.