title: Distribution patterns of phthalic acid esters in soil particle-size fractions determine biouptake in soil-cereal crop systems.
abstract: The use of wastewater irrigation for food crops can lead to presence of bioavailable phthalic acid esters (PAEs) in soils, which increase the potential for human exposure and adverse carcinogenic and non-cancer health effects. This study presents the first investigation of the occurrence and distribution of PAEs in a maize-wheat double-cropping system in a wastewater-irrigated area in the North China Plain. PAE levels in maize and wheat were found to be mainly attributed to PAE stores in soil coarse (250-2000 μm) and fine sand (53-250 μm) fractions. Soil particle-size fractions with higher bioavailability (i.e., coarse and fine sands) showed greater influence on PAE congener bioconcentration factors compared to PAE molecular structures for both maize and wheat tissues. More PAEs were allocated to maize and wheat grains with increased soil PAE storages from wastewater irrigation. Additional findings showed that levels of both non-cancer and carcinogenic risk for PAE congeners in wheat were higher than those in maize, suggesting that wheat food security should be prioritized. In conclusion, increased soil PAE concentrations specifically in maize and wheat grains indicate that wastewater irrigation can pose a contamination threat to food resources.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.|State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Simulation and Control of Groundwater Pollution, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
authors.forename: Wenbing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Hebei Provincial Academy of Environmental Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050037, China.|School of Resource and Environmental Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.|State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Simulation and Control of Groundwater Pollution, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
authors.forename: Xiaosong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.|State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Simulation and Control of Groundwater Pollution, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.|Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, China.
authors.forename: Beidou
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xi
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.|State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Simulation and Control of Groundwater Pollution, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
authors.forename: Rutai
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: School of Resource and Environmental Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China.
authors.forename: Xuhui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.|State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Simulation and Control of Groundwater Pollution, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
authors.forename: Caihong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Simulation and Control of Groundwater Pollution, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Simulation and Control of Groundwater Pollution, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Plant Science and Technology, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing 102206, China.
authors.forename: Qiong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Simulation and Control of Groundwater Pollution, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
authors.forename: Dongyu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Northeastern University, Boston Massachusetts 02115, United States.
authors.forename: Akram N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Alshawabkeh
mesh_terms: D018556:Crops, Agricultural; D002523:Edible Grain / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004952:Esters / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D010316:Particle Size; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D014908:Triticum / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry; D003313:Zea mays / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004952:Esters; D010795:Phthalic Acids; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D062065:Wastewater