Endocrine disrupting phenolic plasticizers in the Bay of Bengal coastal waters, India: Occurrence, Distribution and...

Phenolic compounds are widely used as plasticizers and contribute to environmental contamination. They are considered endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) due their adverse effects on endocrine systems of organisms. In this study, six phenolics Octylphenol (OP), Nonylphenol (NP), Cumylphenol (CP), Bisphenol A (BPA), Bisphenol S (BPS), and Bisphenol F (BPF) were quantified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometery (GC-MS) to assess their distribution in seawater, sediment and fish from the Bay of Bengal, India. The total concentrations of these phenolics in seawater, sediment and fish ranged as Non-detectable (ND) - 3949 ng/L, ND - 2195 ng/g (dry weight) and 4.04-2609 ng/g (wet weight), respectively. NP was the most frequently detected in seawater and sediment, followed by BPA. OP was found high next to NP in fish. However, the distribution of phenolics was not uniform. BPF was measured in seawater with less frequency but not detected in sediment and fish. The hazard quotient (HQ > 1) suggests ecological risk posed by NP to algae and crustaceans. The human risk quotient (RQ_Human) indicates a dietary risk by NP (>1) through fish. Based on Water Quality Criteria (WQC), Environmental Quality Standard's annual average (EQS-AA) and EQS-maximum allowable concentration (MAC), Endocrine equivalent (EEQ), Environmental Risk Limits (ERL) and RQ_Seawater, the Gulf of Mannar (GOM) marine bioreserve may face threats from the phenolic plasticizers. This is the first study on environmental burden and risks of phenolic plasticizers in the Bay of Bengal coastal region of Tamil Nadu, India, which includes the country's first marine bioreserve, the GOM.