title: Organophosphate Ester Flame Retardants and Plasticizers in the Global Oceanic Atmosphere.
abstract: Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are widely used as flame retardants and plasticizers and have been detected ubiquitously in the remote atmosphere. Fourteen OPEs were analyzed in 115 aerosol phase samples collected from the tropical and subtropical Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans during the MALASPINA circumnavigation campaign. OPEs were detected in all samples with concentrations ranging from 360 to 4400 pg m-3for the sum of compounds. No clear concentration trends were found between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The pattern was generally dominated by tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP), although tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP) had a predominant role in samples close to continents and in those influenced by air masses originating in continents. The dry deposition fluxes of aerosol phase ∑14OPE ranged from 4 to 140 ng m-2d-1. An estimation of the OPE gas phase concentration and gross absorption fluxes by using three different sets of physical chemical properties suggested that the atmosphere-ocean diffusive exchange of OPEs could be 2-3 orders of magnitude larger than dry deposition. The associated organic phosphorus inputs coming from diffusive OPE fluxes were estimated to potentially trigger up to 1.0% of the reported primary production in the most oligotrophic oceanic regions. However, the uncertainty associated with these calculations is high and mostly driven by the uncertainty of the physical chemical properties of OPEs. Further constraints of the physical chemical properties and fluxes of OPEs are urgently needed, in order to estimate their environmental fate and relevance as a diffusive source of new organic phosphorus to the ocean.
authors: Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC) , Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.|Aix Marseille University, CNRS/INSU, University of Toulon, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO) UM 110 , 13288, Marseille, France.
authors: Javier
authors: J
authors: Castro-Jiménez
authors: Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC) , Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.|Department of Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Organic Chemistry (IQOG-CSIC) , Juan de la Cierva 3, Madrid, Spain.
authors: Belén
authors: B
authors: González-Gaya
authors: Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC) , Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors: Mariana
authors: M
authors: Pizarro
authors: Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC) , Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors: Paulo
authors: P
authors: Casal
authors: Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC) , Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors: Cristina
authors: C
authors: Pizarro-Álvarez
authors: Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC) , Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors: Jordi
authors: J
authors: Dachs
mesh_terms: D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005411:Flame Retardants; D010755:Organophosphates; D010968:Plasticizers
chemical_list: D005411:Flame Retardants; D010755:Organophosphates; D010968:Plasticizers