Occurrence of phthalic acid esters in sediment samples from East China Sea

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) are widely used as plasticizers in many industrial and household products. The widespread distribution of PAEs in marine environment has attracted great concerns, due to their adverse health effects on marine organisms. However, the data on the occurrence of PAEs in sediment from East China Sea is still scarce. In this study, 16 PAEs were analyzed in 67 sediment samples collected from the Hangzhou Bay, Taizhou Bay, and Wenzhou Bay. Eight PAEs were detected in collected sediment samples, and the total concentrations of detected PAEs (∑PAEs) were in the range of 654-2603 ng/g. The di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was the predominant PAE (mean 663 ng/g; accounted for mean 52% of ∑PAEs), followed by di-isobutyl phthalate (DiBP; 284 ng/g; 22%), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP; 184 ng/g; 15%), and dimethyl phthalate (63 ng/g; 5.0%). The mean sediment concentration of ∑PAEs in the Hangzhou Bay (1623 ng/g) was higher than that in the Taizhou Bay (1282 ng/g) and Wenzhou Bay (1185 ng/g). Concentrations of diethyl phthalate, DiBP, and DBP were significantly and positively correlated with one another in sediment from Taizhou Bay and Wenzhou Bay. The estimated inventories of ∑PAEs in sediment from Hangzhou Bay, Taizhou Bay, and Wenzhou Bay were 82 tons, 28 tons, and 26 tons, respectively. Overall, this study provides the first data on the occurrence of PAEs in sediment from the East China Sea, which is necessary to conduct the PAE exposure risk assessment for the marine benthos.