State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, The City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, 518057, China.
State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China; Department of Transportation and Environment, Shenzhen Institute of Information Technology, Shenzhen 518172, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2022 Mar 10;811:151412. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151412. Epub 2021 Nov 4.
In this study, the occurrence and distribution of 15 phthalate esters (PAEs) in seawater and sediment from the northern South China Sea (NSCS) were investigated for the first time to improve understanding on the contamination status of PAEs in this region. The concentrations of total PAEs (∑ PAEs) were found to range from 68.8 to 1500 ng/L, 46.0 to 7800 ng/L, and 49.2 to 440 ng/g dry weight in surface seawater, bottom seawater, and sediment, respectively. Among the 15 PAEs, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were the predominant PAE congeners, with mean contributions of 44.7% and 24.0% in surface water, and 42.7% and 25.8% in bottom water, respectively. Moreover, diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP) constituted the majority of ∑15 PAEs in the sediment (61.3%). Comparatively high concentrations of Σ15 PAEs were observed in seawater at the sites within the western NSCS, whereas relatively higher concentrations of Σ15 PAEs were detected in sediments at the eastern NSCS. River input and atmospheric deposition could be the main sources of PAEs in the NSCS. Preliminary risk assessment implied that DBP, DiBP, and DEHP posed low to high potential risks for marine organisms at different trophic levels. These results would be valuable for implementing effective control measures and remediation strategies for PAEs contamination in the region.
本研究首次调查了南海北部海域海水和沉积物中 15 种邻苯二甲酸酯（PAEs）的分布和含量，以提高对该地区 PAEs 污染状况的认识。结果表明，表层海水、底层海水和沉积物中∑PAEs 的浓度范围分别为 68.8-1500ng/L、46.0-7800ng/L 和 49.2-440ng/g 干重。在所研究的 15 种 PAEs 中，邻苯二甲酸二丁酯（DBP）和邻苯二甲酸二（2-乙基己基）酯（DEHP）是主要的 PAE 同系物，分别占表层海水和底层海水中 PAE 总量的 44.7%和 24.0%。此外，在沉积物中，DiBP 构成了∑15 PAEs 的主要部分（61.3%）。在南海西部海域的站点，海水∑15 PAEs 浓度较高，而在南海东部海域的站点，沉积物∑15 PAEs 浓度较高。河流输入和大气沉降可能是南海中 PAEs 的主要来源。初步风险评估表明，DBP、DiBP 和 DEHP 对不同营养级别的海洋生物可能构成低到高的潜在风险。这些结果对该地区实施有效控制措施和修复策略具有重要意义。
