Abstract
As a new type of pollutant, phthalate esters (PAEs) are common organic compounds in industrial production and daily life, which are widely detected in surface water environment. Among them, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) have attracted much attention due to their harmful effects on aquatic life such as endocrine disrupting effects. In this study, the toxicity data of DBP and DEHP were collected and screened through literature research, and their water quality criteria (WQC) for protecting aquatic life were derived by the species sensitivity distribution method. In addition, the distributions of DBP and DEHP in surface water environment of China were analyzed and their ecological risk levels to aquatic life in six regions were evaluated by hazard quotients (HQs) and probabilistic approaches. The result revealed that the chronic WQC of DBP is 12.9 μg/L (criteria continuous concentration, CCC) and acute WQC is 162.9 μg/L (criteria maximum concentration, CMC) and the chronic WQC of DEHP is 1.0 μg/L (CCC) and acute WQC is 71.8 μg/L (CMC). The ecological risk of DBP and DEHP in North China and Yangtze River is relatively higher than other regions, which may have harmful effects on the aquatic environments. So, it is necessary to strengthen the water quality management. The results could provide scientific basis for ecological risk management of DBP and DEHP.
Highlights
Phthalate esters (PAEs) are common plasticizers, which are mainly used to improve the flexibility of plastic products for processing (Howdeshell et al, 2008; Abdel Daiem et al, 2012)
Results showed that water quality criteria (WQC) of DEHP are much lower than those of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), indicating that DEHP is more toxic to aquatic life than DBP
According to the reviewed toxicity data, the algae are more sensitive to DBP and DEHP than fishes, which are consistent with the reported literature (Hu et al, 2012)
Summary
Phthalate esters (PAEs) are common plasticizers, which are mainly used to improve the flexibility of plastic products for processing (Howdeshell et al, 2008; Abdel Daiem et al, 2012). The sources of phthalates in the environment are mainly anthropogenic activities and the annual output of PAEs in China is about 400,000 tons (Pei et al, 2013; Wang et al, 2013). PAEs can enter the water body directly and indirectly. The direct ways include the discharge of industrial waste water containing PAEs and the surface runoff of rainwater after washing agricultural plastic film, insect repellent, plastic garbage, etc. PAEs can combine with hormone receptors in the body, causing nervous system disorders, endocrine disorders, and immune decline, resulting in reproductive and developmental damage and other health problems. Some PAEs are bioaccumulative and can be accumulated in organisms, causing serious harm to high
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