Coupled Dynamic Material Flow, Multimedia Environmental Model, and Ecological Risk Analysis for Chemical Management: A Di(2-ethylhexhyl) Phthalate Case in China

Abstract

Di­(2-ethylhexhyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a widely used plasticizer that has adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. However, data about its stocks, flows, emission rates, as well as ecological risks are generally unknown in China, one of the world’s largest producers of chemicals including DEHP, limiting sound management of chemicals. Herein, dynamic material flow analysis, coupled with a multimedia environmental model and ecological risk analysis, was performed to fill the data gap about DEHP in China mainland from 1956 to 2020. Results indicate that the in-use stocks of DEHP increased from 6.54 × 106 kg in 1956 to 8.40 × 109 kg in 2020. With growth in the emission rates, DEHP concentrations in air, soil, water, and sediment kept increasing from 1956 to 2010, which declined after 2010 and regrew after 2015. Sediment was a main sink of DEHP with the highest ecological risk quotient of >10 after 1999, necessitating measures for controlling the risk, for example, technology innovation to reduce DEHP emission rates, and substitution of DEHP with low-toxic alternatives. The coupled models that connect socio-economic data with ecological risk output may provide a systematic methodology for verification of the data necessary for risk control of chemicals.

Dynamic Source Distribution and Emission Inventory of a Persistent, Mobile, and Toxic (PMT) Substance, Melamine, in China

“… Emissions during the use of products , Some melamine materials were exported to foreign countries, and most of the rest were further processed into various products to enter the application market, both of which affects melamine emissions during use and disposal of relevant products . We assumed that the same type of imported and exported products contain equal amounts of melamine because the main melamine application industries are similar in China and abroad. , Using the import–export data of melamine products collected from the National Bureau of Statistics, UN Comtrade Database, and literature (Tables S3 and S4), we analyzed the mass flows of melamine associated with international trade and incorporated this flow into the use of products to calculate subsequent emissions eq . The impact of this study design is further discussed in Section emissio normaln 3 , n = ( C MEL · A n − emissio n 2 , n ) · ( 1 + I n − E n P p , n ) · [ 1 − ϕ ( t ) n ] · E normalF 3 , n false( air , wastewater , soil false) where I n is the product ( n ) annual import-quantity or import-value, E n is the product ( n ) annual export-quantity or export-value, P p , n is the product ( n ) annual domestic production or sales value (Tables S3 and S4), ϕ( t ) n is the cumulative distribution function of melamine life span in products (Text S1 and Table S5), and EF 3, n is the emission factor during the use of respective...…”

“…Due to a lack of quantitative and detailed information, especially on the emission factors related to waste disposal methods, emissions of melamine from the disposal of end-of-life products could not be comprehensively and accurately quantified. Instead, preliminary estimations of such emissions were conducted by integrating the relative proportions of waste disposal methods in China (i.e., incineration, recycling, landfill, and dumping and simple landfill) , with assumed or model-estimated EFs under different scenarios (Tables S7 and S8). Considering that the proportions of end-of-life products undergoing incineration and recycling are low and the emissions from these processes are usually low, , this study assumed that the emission factors of melamine under these two disposal methods are negligible.…”

“…To evaluate the relative impact of individual parameters on the estimated emissions, this study varied the input parameters of the material flow analysis by ±10% of their original values, including the production and consumption of melamine, the product import–export trade, the product life span, and the emission factors of different life-cycle stages and industries. This is based on the commonly used method in the literature and has been proven to be reasonable and effective. ,,− The sensitivity was obtained for the entire time period of 1995–2020 using eq ; the higher the value, the more significant the impact of the independent variable change on the results S = I 0 I + 10 % − I − 10 % · O + 10 % − O − 10 % O 0 where S is the sensitivity of the estimation results to the independent variables; I 0 , I +10% , and I –10% are the original value of the independent variable and the value after 10% expansion or reduction; O 0 , O +10% , and O –10% are the estimates obtained after the original value of the estimated result and the change of the independent variable ±10% (annual emissions were selected here for comparison).…”

Life cycle thinking supports 21st‐century new pollutant and chemical management

“…For known chemicals and pollutants, the first step is revealing their material metabolism within all life stages. Chemical material flow discloses the dynamic source–flow–sink relationship in the socioeconomic system and potentially identifies exposure routes and amounts of chemicals in the environment (Cui et al, 2022). When this is further coupled with environmental fate and risk assessment models, potential risks of target chemicals and transformation products in various environmental compartments can be predicted.…”

Di-(2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate and Microplastics Induced Neuronal Apoptosis through the PI3K/AKT Pathway and Mitochondrial Dysfunction

“…In recent years, DEHP and MPs have been widely used in production and life; their residual chemicals and decomposition products have posed threat to global ecological health. 1 In general, DEHP is used as a plasticizer, which has fat-solubilization properties and is often added to toys and toiletries, and thus threatens human health. DEHP is a member of Category 2B carcinogens, published by the World Health Organization in 2017.…”