Spatial Distribution and Chronic Ecological risk Assessment of Typical Phthalate Esters in the Surface Waters of China

The chronic ecological risks posed by residual PAEs in China remain unclear. In this study, we analyzed the spatial distribution of five typical PAEs in the surface waters of China, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), and dimethyl phthalate (DMP). The highest concentration of PAEs were detected in the Liao River, ranging from 5 to 79.8 µg/L. DBP was of the PAEs type with the highest concentration in the surface waters in China. By fitting the species sensitivity distribution curves base on the collected data over the past decade, the chronically hazardous concentrations affecting 5% of the aquatic species were calculated to be 0.018, 0.022, 0.062, 0.851, and 9.437 mg/L for DBP, DEHP, BBP, DEP, and DMP, respectively. Thus, DBP, DEHP, and BBP pose the greatest threat to aquatic organisms, and PAEs pose high ecological risks in the Liao, Huangpu, and Pearl Rivers.