Abstract
Extensive use of phthalate esters (PAEs) in both industrial processes and consumer products has resulted in the ubiquitous presence of these chemicals in the environment. This study reports the first data on the concentrations of 16 phthalate esters (PAEs) in water and sediments of the urban lakes in Guangzhou City. PAEs were detected in all samples analyzed, mainly originating from urban stormwater runoff, atmospheric deposition, as well as untreated discharge of industrial wastewater and municipal sewage. The Σ16PAEs concentrations in water and sediments ranged from 1.69 to 4.72 μg L− 1 and 2.27 to 74.94 μg g− 1—dry weight (dw), with the mean concentrations of 2.91 μg L− 1 and 20.85 μg g− 1—dw, respectively, which indicates that sediment is a significant sink for PAEs. Variability of the Σ16PAEs concentrations in water and sediment in the urban lakes was almost consistent. The spatial distribution of PAEs was site-specific. Of the 16 PAEs, DMP, DEP, DnBP, DiBP, DMPP, and DEHP were present in all water and sediment samples. DnBP was abundant in water (53.0–81.2%), while no single dominant congener was found in sediments. The abundances of DiBP were similar to those of DEHP, and DiBP and DEHP collectively accounted for 77.2–97.6% of the Σ16PAEs concentrations. Congener specific analysis confirmed that DnBP was a predictive indicator for the dissolved ∑16 PAEs concentration (correlation coefficient r = 0.968, p < 0.01), and that DiBP was a predictive indicator for the sediment ∑16 PAEs concentration (r = 0.975, p < 0.01). As compared to the results for other studies, the urban lakes of Guangzhou were moderately polluted by PAEs.
DOI Link to Publication