title: Plasticizer metabolites in the environment.
abstract: Earlier work with pure cultures had shown that the interaction of microbes with plasticizers leads to the formation of metabolites including 2-ethylhexanoic acid and 2-ethylhexanol that resist further degradation. The presence of these metabolites is now reported in a variety of environmental samples. Thus, even in a complex ecosystem, when plasticizers are degraded, the breakdown is not complete and significant amounts of 2-ethylhexanoic acid and 2-ethylhexanol are observed. These compounds have been shown to exhibit acute toxicity using Microtox, Daphnia, rainbow trout and fathead minnow toxicity assays. Since it is already well established that plasticizers are ubiquitous in the environment, it is expected that their recalcitrant metabolites will also be ubiquitous. This is of concern because, while the plasticizers do not exhibit acute toxicity, their metabolites do.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, 3610 University Street, Wong Building, Montreal, Que. H3A 2B2, Canada.
authors.forename: Owen
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Horn
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nalli
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nicell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002208:Caproates / Q000633:toxicity*; D003530:Cyprinidae; D003621:Daphnia; D000441:Hexanols / Q000633:toxicity*; D017686:Oncorhynchus mykiss; D010968:Plasticizers / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity*; D014733:Vibrio; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D002208:Caproates; D000441:Hexanols; D010968:Plasticizers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C040668:2-ethylhexanoic acid; C034017:2-ethylhexanol