Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Phthalate esters contamination in soils and vegetables of plastic film greenhouses of suburb Nanjing, China and the potential human health risk

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The contamination of phthalate esters (PAEs) has become a potential threat to the environment and human health because they could be easily released as plasticizers from the daily supply products, especially in polyethylene films. Concentration levels of total six PAEs, nominated as priority pollutants by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), were investigated in soils and vegetables from four greenhouse areas in suburbs of Nanjing, East China. Total PAEs concentration ranged from 930 ± 840 to 2 450 ± 710 μg kg−1 (dry weight (DW)) in soil and from 790 ± 630 to 3 010 ± 2 130 μg kg−1 in vegetables. Higher concentrations of PAEs were found in soils except in Suo Shi (SS) area and in vegetables, especially in potherb mustard and purple tsai-tai samples. Risk assessment mainly based on the exposures of soil ingestion and daily vegetable intake indicated that bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in the samples from Gu Li (GL) and Hu Shu (HS) exhibited the highest hazard to children less than 6-year old. Therefore, the human health risk of the PAEs contamination in soils and vegetables should greatly be of a concern, especially for their environmental estrogen analog effects.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

Al2O3 :

Alumina

BB:

Benzyl benzoate

BBP:

Butyl benzyl phthalate

CLEA:

The Contaminated Land Exposure Assessment

DEHP:

Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate

DEP:

Diethyl phthalate

DMP:

Dimethyl phthalate

DnBP:

Di-n-butyl phthalate

DnOP:

Di-n-octyl phthalate

DW:

Dry weight

H2SO4 :

Sulphuric acid

IR:

Index of risk

LOD:

Limit of detection

MCRA:

Monte Carlo Risk Assessment

Na2SO4 :

Anhydrous sodium sulfate

ND:

Not detected

PAEs:

Phthalate esters

RfD:

Oral reference dose

TDI:

Total daily intake

USEPA:

US Environmental Protection Agency

References

  • CNWest (News of China West) (2012a) http://news.cnwest.com/content/2012-06/12/content_6651470.htm. (in Chinese)

  • CEC-CEDA (Chinese enterprise center - China Entrepreneur Department Association) information (2012b) http://info.cec-ceda.org.cn/hg/pages/20060526_14168_8_2.html. (in Chinese)

  • Aranda JM, O’connor GA, Eiceman GA (1989) Effects of sewage sludge on bis-(2-ethylexyl) phthalate uptake by plant. J Environ Qual 18:45–50

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Balbuena P, Campbell J Jr, Clewell HJ III, Clewell RA (2013) Evaluation of a predictive in vitro leydig cell assay for anti-androgenicity of phthalate esters in the rat. Toxicol in Vitro 27:1711–1718

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bergé A, Cladière M, Gasperi J, Coursimault A, Tassin B, Moilleron R (2013) Meta-analysis of environmental contamination by phthalates. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20:8057–8076

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cai QY, Mo CH, Wu QT, Zeng QY (2008) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and phthalic acid esters in the soil-radish (Raphanus sativus) system with sewage sludge and compost application. Bioresour Technol 99:1830–1836

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cecinato A, Balducci C, Mastroianni D, Perilli M (2012) Sampling and analytical methods for assessing the levels of organic pollutants in the atmosphere: PAH, phthalates and psychotropic substances: a short review. Environ Sci Pollut Res 19:1915–1926

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chai LY, Xin ZH, Cai J, Yu MX, Hu QH (2008) Determination of phthalate plasticizers in food. Food Sci Chin 29:362–365 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chai C, Cheng H, Ge W, Ma D, Shi Y (2014) Phthalic acid esters in soils from vegetable greenhouses in Shandong Peninsula, East China. PLoS One 9:e95701–e95709

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen YX, Shen DS, Hu ZQ, Liu XL, Wu DL, Zhao DS, Zhang JY (1997) Degradation characters of PAEs in soil. Acta Sci Circumst 17:340–345 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen YS, Luo YM, Zhang HB, Song J (2011) Preliminary study on PAEs pollution of greenhouse soils. Acta Pedol Sin 3:516–523 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheng Z, Nie XP, Wang HS, Wong MH (2013) Risk assessments of human exposure to bioaccessible phthalate esters through market fish consumption. Environ Int 57–58:75–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CSTEE (EU Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment) (1998) Phthalate migration from soft PVC toys and child-care articles. http://ec.europa.eu/health/archive/ph_risk/committees/sct/documents/out12_en.pdf.

  • Environmental Monitoring Center of China (1992) Test methods for evaluating solid waste. Chin Environ Sci Press, Beijing, pp 321–343

    Google Scholar 

  • Fierens T, Van Holderbeke M, Willems H, De Henauw S, Sioen I (2012) Phthalates in Belgian cow’s milk and the role of feed and other contamination pathways at farm level. Food Chem Toxicol 50(8):2945–2953

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fierens T, Van Holderbeke M, Willems H, De Henauw S, Sioen I (2013) Transfer of eight phthalates through the milk chain—a case study. Environ Int 51:1–7

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fu XW, Du QZ (2011) Uptake of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate of vegetables from plastic film greenhouses. J Agric Food Chem 59:11585–11588

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guo Y, Wu Q, Kannan K (2011) Phthalate metabolites in urine from China, and implications for human exposures. Environ Int 37:893–898

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He WS (2004) Soil problems and countermeasure in facility agriculture in China. Soils 3:235–242 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kato K, Nakaoka T, Ikeda H (1981) Contamination of phthalic acid esters in vegetables. Chem Abstr 95:60034K

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirchman H, Tengsred A (1991) Organic pollutants in sewage sludge.2. Analysis of barley grains grown on sludge-fertilizer soil. Swed J Agric Res 21:115–119

    Google Scholar 

  • Laturnus F, Grøn C (2007) Organic waste products in agriculture-monitoring the waste constituents phthalate esters in soil-crop system by gas chromatography and ion trap tandem mass spectrometry. J Environ Eng Landsc Manag XV:253–260

    Google Scholar 

  • Li JC, Hu XF, Li WY, Xu WH (2010a) Study of heavy metals pollution analysis and control in protected vegetable base soil. Chin Agric Sci Bull 26:393–396 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Li M, Cai QY, Zeng QY, Lv HX (2010b) Occurrence of phthalic acid esters in soils and vegetables from green food and organic vegetable fields. J Anhui Agric Sci 38:10189–10191 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu LP, Bao HQ, Liu F, Zhang J, Shen HQ (2012a) Phthalates exposure of Chinese reproductive age couples and its effect on male semen quality, a primary study. Environ Int 42:78–83

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu SJ, Fang CG, Li Q, Jiang N, Yang DP (2012b) Monitoring and analysis of residues of phthalate esters in food in Jilin province. Chin J Health Lab Technol 3:68–71 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu H, Cui KY, Zeng F, Chen LX, Cheng YT, Li HR, Li SC, Zhou X, Zhu F, Ouyang GF, Luan TG, Zeng ZX (2014) Occurrence and distribution of phthalate esters in riverine sediments from the Pearl River Delta region, South China. Mar Pollut Bull 83:358–365. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.03.038#doilink

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lu RK (1999) Soil Science Society of China. Analysis methods of soil agricultural chemicals. Science and technology of China press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Ma TT (2012b) Current pollution status, environmental risk assessment and bio-remediation of representative phthalate esters in farmland soil of typical facility agricultural regions. Dissertation, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

  • Ma TT, Luo YM, Christie P, Teng Y, Liu WX (2012) Removal of phthalic esters in contaminated soil by different cropping systems: a field study. Eur J Soil Biol 50:76–82

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ma TT, Teng Y, Christie P, Luo YM, Chen YS, Ye M, Huang YJ (2013) A new procedure combining GC-MS with accelerated solvent extraction for the analysis of phthalic acid esters in contaminated soils. Front Environ Sci Eng 7:31–42

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Masood F, Malik A (2013) Mutagenicity and genotoxicity assessment of industrial wastewaters. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20:7386–7397

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mikula P, Svobodová Z, Smutná M (2005) Phthalates: toxicology and food safety—a review. Czech J Food Sci 23:217–223

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mo CH, Cai QY, Tang SR, Zeng QY, Wu QT (2009) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and phthalic acid esters in vegetables from nine farms of the Pearl River Delta, South China. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 56:181–189

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • New York Department of Environmental Conservation (1994) Determination of soil cleanup objectives and cleanup levels. New York.

  • Ni YW, Ou ZQ (2000) Preferential flow and contamination preferential migration in soil: a review. Soil Environ Sci 9:60–63

    Google Scholar 

  • NMED (New Mexico Environment Department) (2009) Technical background document for development of soil screening levels.

  • Overcash MR, Weber JB, Miles ML (1982) Behavior of organic priority pollutants in the terrestrial system: di-n-butyl phthalate ester, toluene, and 2,4 dinitrophenol. Water Resources Research Institute of the University of North Carolina.

  • Pang JM, Duan YL, Chi BL, Fan XW (1995) Residual and toxic analysis of DEHP in soil and Chinese cabbage. Chin Environ Chem 14:239–242 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pei XQ, Song M, Guo M, Mo FF, Shen XY (2013) Concentration and risk assessment of phthalates present in indoor air from newly decorated apartments. Atmos Environ 68:17–23

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pradeep S, Benjamin S (2012) Mycelial fungi completely remediate di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, the hazardous plasticizer in PVC blood storage bag. J Hazard Mater. (235-236):69–77.

  • Romero-Franco M, Hernández-Ramírez RU, Calafat AM, Cebrián ME, Needham LL, Teitelbaum S, Wolff MS, López-Carrillo L (2011) Personal care product use and urinary levels of phthalate metabolites in Mexican women. Environ Int 37(5):867–871

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shen L, Xia B, Dai X (2013) Residues of persistent organic pollutants in frequently-consumed vegetables and assessment of human health risk based on consumption of vegetables in Huizhou, South China. Chemosphere 93:2254–2263

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shi W, Zhang FX, Hu GJ, Hao YQ, Zhang XW, Liu HL, Wei S, Wang XR, Giesy JP, Yu HX (2012) Thyroid hormone disrupting activities associated with phthalate esters in water sources from Yangtze River Delta. Environ Int 42:117–123

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sioen I, Fierens T, Van Holderbeke M, Geerts L, Bellemans M, De Maeyer M, Servaes K, Vanermen G, Boon PE, De Henauw S (2012) Phthalates dietary exposure and food sources for Belgian preschool children and adults. Environ Int 48:102–108

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tai YP, Mo CH, Wu XL, Li YW, Wang JY, Su QY, Huang PX (2011) Occurrence of quinolone antibiotics in soils from vegetable fields of Dongguan City. J Environ Sci 31:839–845

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Teil MJ, Tlili K, Blanchard M, Chevreuil M, Alliot F, Labadie P (2012) Occurrence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, polychlorinated biphenyls, and phthalates in freshwater fish from the orge river (Ile-de France). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 63:101–113

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • USEPA (1996) Proposed guidelines for carcinogen risk assessment. Washington, DC, pp 17960–18011.

  • Wang LX, Kou LJ, Pan FY, Wang ML (2007) Determination of phthalates in vegetables by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry with matrix solid phase dispersion. Chin J Anal Chem 35:1559–1564

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe NL, Burns LA, Steen WC (1980) Use of linear free energy relationships and an evaluative model to assess the fate and transport of phthalate esters in the aquatic environment. Chemosphere 9:393–402

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu R, Niu MF, Guo Y, Wang J, Zhao MQ, Shi Y, Liu ZY (2009) Survey and analysis of pesticide contamination in greenhouse. J Agro-Environ Sci 28:130–134

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu XL, Liang RX, Dai QY, Jin DC, Wang YY, Chao WL (2010) Complete degradation of di-n-octyl phthalate by biochemical cooperation between Gordonia sp. strain JDC-2 and Arthrobacter sp. strain JDC-32 isolated from activated sludge. J Hazard Mater 176:262–268

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu ZW, Cheng L, Shi J, Lu JG, Zhang WM, Zhao YL, Li FY, Chen MD (2014) Kinetic study of the removal of dimethyl phthalate from an aqueous solution using an anion exchange resin. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21:6571–6577

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan SY, Huang IC, Chang BV (2010) Biodegradation of dibutyl phthalate and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and microbial community changes in mangrove sediment. J Hazard Mater 184:826–831

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang LF, Dong L, Ren LJ, Shi SH, Zhou L, Zhang T, Huang YR (2012) Concentration and source identification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and phthalic acid esters in the surface water of the Yangtze River Delta, China. J Environ Sci 24:335–342

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Q, Lu XM, Zhang XL, Sun YG, Zhu DM, Wang BL, Zhao RZ, Zhang ZD (2013) Levels of phthalate esters in settled house dust from urban dwellings with young children in Nanjing, China. Atmos Environ 69:258–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Tao Y, Sun GQ, Wang L (2014) Effects of di-n-butyl phthalate on the physiology and ultrastructure of cucumber seedling roots. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21:6662–6670

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ziogou K, Kirk PWW, Lester JN (1989) Behavior of phthalic acid esters during batch anaerobic digestion of sludge. Water Res 23:743–748

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Environmental Protection Special Funds for Scientific Research on Public Welfare of China (201209030, 201109018 and 2010467016).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Ting Ting Ma, Long Hua Wu, Like Chen, Hai Bo Zhang, Ying Teng & Yong Ming Luo

  2. Institute of Hanjiang, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, 441053, China

    Ting Ting Ma

  3. Shanghai Research Institute of Chemical Industry, Shanghai, 200062, China

    Like Chen

  4. Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, 264003, China

    Hai Bo Zhang & Yong Ming Luo

Authors
  1. Ting Ting Ma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Long Hua Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Like Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hai Bo Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ying Teng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yong Ming Luo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yong Ming Luo.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Leif Kronberg

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Table S1

(DOC 82 kb)

Table S2

(DOC 109 kb)

Table S3

(DOC 83 kb)

Table S4

(DOC 57 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ma, T.T., Wu, L.H., Chen, L. et al. Phthalate esters contamination in soils and vegetables of plastic film greenhouses of suburb Nanjing, China and the potential human health risk. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 12018–12028 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4401-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4401-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation