title: Occurrence of organophosphate flame retardants in drinking water from China.
abstract: Several organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) have been identified as known or suspected carcinogens or neurotoxic substances. Given the potential health risks of these compounds, we conducted a comprehensive survey of nine OPFRs in drinking water in China. We found total concentrations of OPFRs in tap water ranging from 85.1 ng/L to 325 ng/L, and tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBEP), triphenyl phosphate (TPP), and tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP) were the most common components. Similar OPFR concentrations and profiles were observed in water samples processed through six different waterworks in Nanjing, China. However, boiling affected OPFR levels in drinking water by either increasing (e.g., TBEP) or decreasing (e.g., tributyl phosphate, TBP) concentrations depending on the particular compound and the state of the indoor environment. We also found that bottled water contained many of the same major OPFR compounds with concentrations 10-25% lower than those in tap water, although TBEP contamination in bottled water remained a concern. Finally, we concluded that the risk of ingesting OPFRs through drinking water was not a major health concern for either adults or children in China. Nevertheless, drinking water ingestion represents an important exposure pathway for OPFRs.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
authors.forename: Nanyang
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Monitoring and Analysis for Organic Pollutants in Surface Water, Jiangsu Provincial Environmental Monitoring Center, Nanjing 210036, China.
authors.forename: Beibei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology (Entox), The University of Queensland, QLD 4108, Australia.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
authors.forename: Meiying
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
authors.forename: Mengyang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
authors.forename: Xiaowei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: weisi@nju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Si
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: yuhx@nju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hongxia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D002947:Cities; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis*; D005843:Geography; D010755:Organophosphates / Q000032:analysis*; D011786:Quality Control; D018570:Risk Assessment; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D013696:Temperature; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D005411:Flame Retardants; D010755:Organophosphates
keywords: Boiling; Drinking water; Health risk; Organophosphate flame retardants