Phthalate esters in water and sediments of the Kaveri River, India: environmental levels and ecotoxicological evaluations

Abstract

Phthalate esters are well known for their environmental contamination and toxicological effects as "endocrine disruptors." In this study, environmental levels of phthalate esters and ecotoxicological risk assessments were performed in one of the major rivers in India, the Kaveri. Water and sediment samples were collected during 2010-2012 representing the major stretch of the river and extracted by solid-phase and ultrasonic methods, respectively, and analyzed for six major phthalates by using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. The analytical recovery for phthalates in water and sediment ranged from 79 to 121%. Results indicated that diethyl phthalate (DEP) and dimethyl phthalate were found in every sample, whereas butylbenzyl phthalate and diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) were detected in 92% of the water samples. Likewise, in sediment samples, DEP was found most often (94%). The total phthalates in water samples ranged from 313 to 1,640 ng/l, whereas in sediments it was 2 to 1,438 ng/g dw (dry weight) with DEHP having the highest concentration. Human health risk assessment based on drinking water consumption showed no potential risk for phthalates and also DEHP levels were safe with respect to USEPA guideline (6,000 ng/l). Further, DEHP and di-n-octyl phthalate levels in water were expected to pose little threat to sensitive organisms in the riverine ecosystem as per ECOSAR chronic values. In case of sediment, the DEHP concentration was well above the USEPA sediment guideline value. To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe the levels and ecotoxicological risks of phthalates in Kaveri River, India.

Phthalate esters in soil, plastic film, and vegetable from greenhouse vegetable production bases in Beijing, China: Concentrations, sources, and risk assessment

“…The extensive use of PAE-containing products results in the release of large amounts of these compounds into the environment. It has been reported that the residues of PAEs were detected in various environmental matrices, such as air (Teil et al, 2006;Tran and Kannan, 2015), soil (Net et al, 2015;Niu et al, 2014), water and sediment (Peijnenburg and Struijs, 2006;Selvaraj et al, 2015). Researchers have indicated that some PAEs have endocrine disruptive effects in animals and humans (Main et al, 2006;Philippat et al, 2015;Zota et al, 2014).…”

Comparative assessment of phthalate removal and risk in biological wastewater treatment systems of developing countries and small communities

“…RQ due to remaining three phthalates (DEP, DBP and BBP) was below 1 confirming no harmful impacts. Selvaraj et al (2015) reported a RQ value of 43 for DEHP in Kaveri River of south India. The toxicity values (LC 50, 96 h, fish) of these four phthalates as derived from ECOSAR were also in accordance to obtained RQ values.…”

“…However, there are no reports available in literature that evaluated the temporal variation in risk of phthalates. Present studies reported only level of risk and exposure data such as Selvaraj et al (2015) and Das et al (2014) evaluated in Kaveri River of south India, and drinking water of north India, respectively.…”

Evaluation of the levels of phthalate ester plasticizers in surface water of Ethiope River System, Delta State, Nigeria

“…Phthalate are becoming a great environmental concern because of their ubiquitous nature and studies have indicated various reproductive toxicities and carcinogenic potentials. Phthalates are now known to cause a broad range of birth defects and lifelong reproductive impairment in laboratory animals exposed in-utero (Ema et al, 1998; Wine et al, 1997; Gray et al, 1999).Phthalates have been found virtually in all compartments of the environment including fresh water (Tan 1995;Selyarai et al, 2015; DominguezMorueco et al, 2014; Liu et al, 2015; Liu et al, 2014;Gao and Wen 2016), lake sediments, buried PVC, landfill leachates, atmospheric aerosols (Simoneitet al, 1988), in rain water (Simoneit and Mazurek, 1989). Reports showed that, in river water DEHP, DBP, diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) and DEP were found in all samples, with DEHP as the dominant compound with concentrations of up to 10 µg/l and a mean value of 1 µg/l for the River Rhine(Furtmann 1994).…”

“…Phthalates have been found virtually in all compartments of the environment including fresh water (Tan 1995;Selyarai et al, 2015;DominguezMorueco et al, 2014;Liu et al, 2015;Liu et al, 2014;Gao and Wen 2016), lake sediments, buried PVC, landfill leachates, atmospheric aerosols (Simoneitet al, 1988), in rain water (Simoneit and Mazurek, 1989). Reports showed that, in river water DEHP, DBP, diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) and DEP were found in all samples, with DEHP as the dominant compound with concentrations of up to 10 µg/l and a mean value of 1 µg/l for the River Rhine (Furtmann 1994).…”