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The occurrence and ecological risk assessment of phthalate esters (PAEs) in urban aquatic environments of China

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Abstract

Phthalate esters (PAEs) are widely used in the manufacturing of plastics, and the demand for PAEs has grown rapidly, especially in China. This trend will lead to much more environmental PAE contamination. PAEs are listed as priority substances in the European Union and are therefore subject to ecological risk assessments. This paper reviews the literature concerning the pollution status of PAEs and their ecological risk to aquatic environments. Risk quotients (RQs) based on the predicted no effect concentration and PAE concentrations in aquatic environments demonstrated significant (10 ≤ RQ < 100) or expected (RQ ≥ 100) potential adverse effects for algae, Daphnia, and fish in aquatic environments near PAE-based industrial and urban areas. Thus, the ecological risk of PAEs in Chinese aquatic environments should be considered, especially in areas where commercial plastics are produced.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41271496), and the National Water Pollution Control Major Project of China (2012ZX07203-006), and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2014M550647).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Lulu Zhang & Jingling Liu

  2. School of Science and Technology, The Open University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Lulu Zhang

  3. Henan Anyang Hydrology and Water Resource Bureau, Anyang, 455000, China

    Huayong Liu & Guisheng Wan

  4. Henan Puyang Hydrology and Water Resource Bureau, Puyang, 457000, China

    Shaowei Zhang

Authors
  1. Lulu Zhang
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  2. Jingling Liu
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  3. Huayong Liu
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  4. Guisheng Wan
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  5. Shaowei Zhang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jingling Liu.

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Zhang, L., Liu, J., Liu, H. et al. The occurrence and ecological risk assessment of phthalate esters (PAEs) in urban aquatic environments of China. Ecotoxicology 24, 967–984 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-015-1446-4

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