title: Chemical activity-based environmental risk analysis of the plasticizer di-ethylhexyl phthalate and its main metabolite mono-ethylhexyl phthalate.
abstract: The present study applies a chemical activity-based approach to: 1) evaluate environmental concentrations of di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP; n = 23 651) and its metabolite mono-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP; n = 1232) in 16 environmental media from 1174 studies in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, and in vivo toxicity data from 934 studies in 20 species, as well as in vitro biological activity data from the US Environmental Protection Agency's Toxicity Forecaster and other sources; and 2) conduct a comprehensive environmental risk analysis. The results show that the mean chemical activities of DEHP and MEHP in abiotic environmental samples from locations around the globe are 0.001 and 10-8, respectively. This indicates that DEHP has reached on average 0.1% of saturation in the abiotic environment. The mean chemical activity of DEHP in biological samples is on average 100-fold lower than that in abiotic samples, likely because of biotransformation of DEHP in biota. Biological responses in both in vivo and in vitro tests occur at chemical activities between 0.01 to 1 for DEHP and between approximately 10-6and 10-2for MEHP, suggesting a greater potency of MEHP compared with DEHP. Chemical activities of both DEHP and MEHP in biota samples were less than those causing biological responses in the in vitro bioassays, without exception. A small fraction of chemical activities of DEHP in abiotic environmental samples (i.e., 4-8%) and none (0%) for MEHP were within the range of chemical activities associated with observed toxicological responses in the in vivo tests. The present study illustrates the chemical activity approach for conducting risk analyses. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1483-1492. © 2016 SETAC.
authors.affiliation: School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.|Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Frank A P C
authors.initials: FAPC
authors.lastname: Gobas
authors.affiliation: School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: S Victoria
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Otton
authors.affiliation: School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Laura F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Tupper-Ring
authors.affiliation: School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Meara A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.affiliation: BEC Technologies, Aurora, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Kathryn E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ocean Sciences, Ocean Sciences Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ikonomou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D001711:Biotransformation; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D010944:Plants / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010968:Plasticizers / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D013696:Temperature; D018675:Toxicity Tests; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010968:Plasticizers; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate
keywords: Chemical activity; Di-ethylhexyl phthalate; Environmental risk assessment; Mono-ethylhexyl phthalate