[Occurrence and Distribution of Phthalate Esters in Urban Soils of Chongqing City].

ABSTRACT

In total, 66 soil samples were collected from five different urban functional areas in Chongqing, and the concentration levels of phthalate esters (PAEs) were analyzed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Meanwhile, the composition and characteristics of PAEs were discussed, along with their possible sources, through correlation analysis and principal component analysis. The results showed that the concentrations of ∑PAEs ranged from 93.1-312 ng·g-1 dry weight, which is at the low end of the worldwide figure. DEHP, DBP, and DIBP were the dominant compounds, contributing 87.4%-92.9% of the total ∑PAEs. DEHP was the most abundant PAE congener, responsible for 52.4% of the total ∑PAEs. Through correlation analysis, it was noted that PAEs with similar molecular weight were more likely to show a significant relationship with each other, which suggested that these PAEs may share a similar source. According to the principal component analysis, DBP, DIBP, and DEHP had a similar source, while BBP and DnOP strongly correlated with each other. Compared to other studies, relatively low PAE concentrations were apparently observed in this study, but the potential human risk via exposure to these compounds should also been considered.