Determination of Phthalate Acid Esters in Water and Sediment Samples by GC–MS

Abstract

Water and bottom sediment samples were taken from the Zhenjiang section of the lower reach of Yangtze River, China during the autumn of 2011, aimed to study the pollution levels of six kinds of phthalate acid esters (PAEs). Water samples were prepared by solid-phase extraction (SPE) and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS), with spiked recoveries ranging from 33.5% to 121.0%. Sediment samples were pretreated using ultrasonic-assisted organic solvent extraction, with recoveries varying from 43.7% to 107.6%. Results showed that the concentration levels of PAEs are below the limit of detection (LOD) –63.3μg/L in the water samples of Yangtze River. Tongji River water are severely contaminated by PAEs, with the concentrations of di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) up to 613ug/L. Four of PAEs were detected in the tap water of Zhenjiang. It was also found that all of detected PAEs are dominantly partitioned on suspended solids in water samples. The concentrations of PAEs in sediment samples are ranged from <LOD to 7.5mg/kg.