Current status and historical variations of phthalate ester (PAE) contamination in the sediments from a large Chinese lake (Lake Chaohu).
The residual levels of phthalate esters (PAEs) in the surface and two core sediments from Lake Chaohu were measured with a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The temporal-spatial distributions, compositions of PAEs, and their effecting factors were investigated. The results indicated that di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were three dominant PAE components in both the surface and core sediments. The residual level of total detected PAEs (∑PAEs) in the surface sediments (2.146 ± 2.255 μg/g dw) was lower than that in the western core sediments (10.615 ± 9.733 μg/g) and in the eastern core sediments (5.109 ± 4.741 μg/g). The average content of ∑PAEs in the surface sediments from the inflow rivers (4.128 ± 1.738 μg/g dw) was an order of magnitude higher than those from the lake (0.323 ± 0.093 μg/g dw), and there were similar PAE compositions between the lake and inflow rivers. This finding means that there were important effects of PAE input from the inflow rivers on the compositions and distributions of PAEs in the surface sediments. An increasing trend was found for the residual levels of ΣPAEs, DnBP, and DIBP from the bottom to the surface in both the western and eastern core sediments. Increasing PAE usage with the population growth, urbanization, and industrial and agricultural development in Lake Chaohu watershed would result in the increasing production of PAEs and their resulting presence in the sediments. The significant positive relationships were also found between the PAE contents and the percentage of sand particles, as well as TOC contents in the sediment cores.
MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Lei
L
Kang
MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Qing-Mei
QM
Wang
MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Qi-Shuang
QS
He
MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Wei
W
He
MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Wen-Xiu
WX
Liu
MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Xiang-Zhen
XZ
Kong
MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Bin
B
Yang
MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Chen
C
Yang
MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Yu-Jiao
YJ
Jiang
MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban & Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China. xufl@urban.pku.edu.cn.
Fu-Liu
FL
Xu
D000383:Agriculture; D002681:China; D003993:Dibutyl Phthalate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis*; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate / Q000032:analysis*; D004952:Esters / Q000032:analysis; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D060106:Lakes; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D045483:Rivers; D014507:Urbanization; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
D004952:Esters; D010795:Phthalic Acids; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003993:Dibutyl Phthalate; C032279:phthalic acid; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate; C025605:diisobutyl phthalate
Composition; Lake Chaohu; Phthalate esters; Residual level; Sediment; Temporal–spatial distribution