Abstract
Phthalate esters (PAEs) are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that pose potential risks to human health. Water and sediments are crucial carriers and storage media for the migration and transformation of PAEs. In this study, six congeners of PAEs were measured in water and sediment samples to elucidate their spatial distribution, congener profiles, and ecological risks in the middle-lower Hanjiang River during the wet and dry seasons. The concentration of the Σ6PAEs ranged from 592 to 2.75 × 103 ng/L with an average of 1.47 × 103 ng/L in surface water, while the concentration of the Σ6PAEs ranged from 1.12 × 103 to 6.61 × 103 ng/g with an average of 2.69 × 103 ng/g in sediments. In general, PAE concentrations were ranked as sediment > water, and dry season > wet season. DEHP and DBP were the dominant PAEs in the middle-lower Hanjiang River in surface water and sediments. SPSS analysis showed that dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in surface water was significantly correlated with the concentration of DBP, DEHP, and the ∑6PAEs, while organic matter (OM) was significantly correlated with the concentration of the ∑6PAEs in sediments. The concentrations of PAEs were irregularly distributed and varied significantly in surface water and sediments. Compared with other regions at home and abroad, the pollution levels of surface water and sediments in the middle-lower Hanjiang River were relatively low and not enough to have a negative impact on the local water’s ecological environment. However, the supervision of land-based discharge should still be strengthened.
Highlights
Phthalate esters (PAEs) are a group of chemical compounds that are widely used as nonreactive plasticizers in polyvinyl plastics (PVC) and in a broad range of industrial processes and consumer products, including cosmetics, building materials, insect repellents, automobile parts, and food packaging [1]
Due to the low runoff, the decrease in suspended sediment (SS) concentration and the decrease in the adsorption capacity of PAEs in sediment, the PAE concentration of the water body in the Danjiangkou to Xinglong reaches of the Hanjiang River may increase in the future
Through field survey, monitoring, and comparisons with historical data and risk assessments, the distribution characteristics and trends of PAEs were studied in surface water and sediment in the middle-lower Hanjiang River, and the following main conclusions were reached
Summary
Phthalate esters (PAEs) are a group of chemical compounds that are widely used as nonreactive plasticizers in polyvinyl plastics (PVC) and in a broad range of industrial processes and consumer products, including cosmetics, building materials, insect repellents, automobile parts, and food packaging [1]. PAEs are released into the environment during the processes of manufacturing and application via evaporation and leaching from domestic and industrial effluents [2–5]. Previous studies have shown that PAEs are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that pose potential health risks to humans and other organisms; for example, they can disrupt the hormonal balance of mammalian species [7]. PAE-containing products in industry and households have led to PAEs being ubiquitous in various environments, including air, water, sediments, soil, and food [7–9]
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