State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China.
Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China.
Environ Sci Technol. 2022 Sep 6;56(17):12003-12013. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.2c01161. Epub 2022 Aug 10.
Transformation of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in natural ambient air and potential health risks from coexposure to OPEs and their transformation products are largely unclear. Therefore, a novel framework combining field-based investigation, prediction, and target and suspect screening was employed to understand atmospheric persistence and health impacts of OPEs. Alkyl-OPE transformation products ubiquitously occurred in urban ambient air. The transformation ratios of tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate were size-dependent, implying that transformation processes may be affected by particle size. Transformation products of chlorinated- and aryl-OPEs were not detected in atmospheric particles, and atmospheric dry deposition might significantly contribute to their removal. Although inhalation risk of coexposure to OPEs and transformation products in urban ambient air was low, health risks related to OPEs may be underestimated as constrained by the identification of plausible transformation products and their toxicity testing or at current stage. The present study highlights the significant impact of particle size on the atmospheric persistence of OPEs and suggests that health risk assessments should be conducted with concurrent consideration of both parental compounds and transformation products of OPEs, in view of the nonnegligible abundances of transformation products in the air and their potential toxicity .
有机磷酸酯（OPEs）在自然环境空气中的转化以及同时接触 OPEs 及其转化产物的潜在健康风险在很大程度上尚不清楚。因此，采用了一种新的框架，结合现场调查、预测以及目标和可疑物筛选，以了解 OPEs 的大气持久性和健康影响。烷基-OPE 转化产物普遍存在于城市环境空气中。磷酸三（2-丁氧基乙基）的转化比例与粒径有关，这意味着转化过程可能受粒径影响。大气颗粒物中未检出氯化-OPEs 和芳基-OPEs 的转化产物，大气干沉降可能会显著去除这些转化产物。尽管城市环境空气中 OPEs 和转化产物的共暴露吸入风险较低，但由于可识别的转化产物及其毒性测试或在当前阶段的限制，OPEs 相关的健康风险可能被低估。本研究强调了粒径对 OPEs 大气持久性的重大影响，并建议在进行健康风险评估时，应同时考虑 OPEs 的母体化合物及其转化产物，因为空气中转化产物的含量相当可观，且其具有潜在毒性。
