Degradation and impact of phthalate plasticizers on soil microbial communities

Cartwright, Colin D.; Thompson, Ian P.; Burns, Richard G.

doi:10.1002/etc.5620190506

Cited by 115 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Given the omnipresent prevalence of DEHP in the environment, another way for human uptake is through a general environmental exposure (Bauer and Herrmann 1997;EU 2008;Guo et al 2011;Martine et al 2013;Staples et al 1997;Wams 1987). Routes of exposure include, but are not limited to, house dust (Becker et al 2004;Butte et al 2001), indoor air (Butte and Heinzow 2002), soil (Cartwright et al 2000), and watersheds (see Table 2). However, the study by the UBA (2012b) suggests that these routes are minor compared to the uptake through food, and only young infants are likely to be at increased risk through a combination of house dust and mouthing of toys.…”

Section: Routes Of Human Exposure To Dehpmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leaching of the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) from plastic containers and the question of human exposure

Erythropel

Marić

Nicell

et al. 2014

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol

359

182

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Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is a widely used plasticizer to render poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) soft and malleable. Plasticized PVC is used in hospital equipment, food wrapping, and numerous other commercial and industrial products. Unfortunately, plasticizers can migrate within the material and leach out of it over time, ending up in the environment and, frequently, the human body. DEHP has come under increased scrutiny as its breakdown products are believed to be endocrine disruptors and more toxic than DEHP itself. DEHP and its breakdown products have been identified as ubiquitous environmental contaminants, and daily human exposure is estimated to be in the microgram per kilogram level. The objective of this review is to summarize and comment on published sources of DEHP exposure and to give an overview of its environmental fate. Exposure through bottled water was examined specifically, as this concern is raised frequently, yet only little exposure to DEHP occurs through bottled water, and DEHP exposure is unlikely to stem from the packaging material itself. Packaged food was also examined and showed higher levels of DEHP contamination compared to bottled water. Exposure to DEHP also occurs in hospital environments, where DEHP leaches directly into liquids that passed through PVC/DEHP tubing and equipment. The latter exposure is at considerably higher levels compared to food and bottled water, specifically putting patients with chronic illnesses at risk. Overall, levels of DEHP in food and bottled water were below current tolerable daily intake (TDI) values. However, our understanding of the risks of DEHP exposure is still evolving. Given the prevalence of DEHP in our atmosphere and environment, and the uncertainty revolving around it, the precautionary principle would suggest its phaseout and replacement. Increased efforts to develop viable replacement compounds, which necessarily includes rigorous leaching, toxicity, and impact assessment studies, are needed before alternative plasticizers can be adopted as viable replacements.

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Section: Routes Of Human Exposure To Dehpmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leaching of the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) from plastic containers and the question of human exposure

Erythropel

Marić

Nicell

et al. 2014

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol

359

182

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…At those concentrations, diethyl phthalate accumulated in hydrophobic regions of the microbial cytoplasmic membrane and disrupted the membrane fluidity (Cartwright et al 2000). Furthermore, there is evidence that phthalic acid esters decrease the microbial metabolic activity by reducing soil basal respiration and catalase activity (Guo et al 2010;Xie et al 2009).…”

Section: Effect Of Phthalic Acid Esters On Soil Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contamination and remediation of phthalic acid esters in agricultural soils in China: a review

He¹,

Gielen²,

Bolan³

et al. 2014

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

237

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Phthalic acid esters have been used as plasticizers in numerous products and classified as endocrine-disrupting compounds. As China is one of the largest consumers of phthalic acid esters, some human activities may lead to the accumulation of phthalic acid esters in soil and result in contamination. Therefore, it is necessary for us to understand the current contamination status and to identify appropriate remediation technologies. Here, we reviewed the potential sources, distribution, and contamination status of phthalic acid esters in soil. We then described the ecological effect and human risk of phthalic acid esters and finally provided technologies to remediate phthalic acid esters. We found that (1) the application of plastic agricultural films, municipal biosolids, agricultural chemicals, and wastewater irrigation have been identified as the main sources for phthalic acid ester contamination in agricultural soil; (2) the distribution of phthalic acid esters in soils is determined by factors such as anthropogenic behaviors, soil type, properties of phthalic acid esters, seasonal variation, etc.; (3) the concentrations of phthalic acid esters in soil in most regions of China are exceeding the recommended values of soil cleanup guidelines used by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), causing phthalic acid ester in soils to contaminate vegetables; (4) phthalic acid esters are toxic to soil microbes and enzymes; and (5) phthalic acid ester-contaminated soil can be remedied by degradation, phytoremediation, and adsorption.

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“…The reasons may be that DEHP and DnBP have a relatively high molecular mass and low solubility in water, and they are frequently rate-limiting for volatilization, biodegradation, and subsurface transport; therefore, these compounds can easily accumulate at high levels in soils. DEP and BBP with low molecular weight have lower soil adsorption coefficients and are relatively soluble in water; thus, these compounds have low levels of soil residuals [39,40].…”

Section: Concentrations Of the 6 Paes And Each Individual Pae In The mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Risk of Phthalate Ester (PAE) Contamination in Soils and Crops Irrigated with Treated Sewage Effluent

Huang

et al. 2018

Water

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Waste/reclaimed irrigation water has been promoted due to water shortages in arid and semi-arid areas. However, this process may be one of the sources of phthalate esters (PAEs) in agricultural soils, and the potential risks of PAEs for soil ecosystems and human health have attracted considerable attention. A two-year (from October 2014 to October 2016) field experiment was conducted to assess the contamination risk of PAEs from reclaimed irrigation water in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and summer maize (Zea mays L.) fields on the North China Plain. Three types of irrigation water quality were arranged for each variety, including reclaimed water, groundwater, and a mixture of reclaimed water and groundwater (1:1, v/v). The results indicate that the concentrations of the 6 PAEs in topsoil ranged from 2.79 to 5.34 mg/kg at the time of crop harvest. There was no significant effect of reclaimed irrigation water on the concentrations of PAEs in the soil. Di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) and di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were the most abundant contaminants in all soil samples, accounting for 43.2%~68.7% and 27.1%~48.6%, respectively, of the 6 PAEs. The levels of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and DnBP in all soil samples exceeded the allowable soil concentrations, but the levels were far below the recommended soil cleanup objectives. The grain yields of winter wheat and summer maize ranged from 4.35 to 7.1 t/ha and 1.03 to 6.46 t/ha, respectively. There were no significant effects of reclaimed water on the growth characteristics and grain yield of winter wheat (p > 0.05); however, the effect of reclaimed irrigation water on summer maize was influenced by climate. The concentrations of the 6 PAEs in wheat grain and maize grain ranged from 1.03 to 4.05 mg/kg and from 0.37 to 3.29 mg/kg, respectively. For the same variety, there was no significant difference in the concentrations of the 6 PAEs in cereal grains among different treatments (p > 0.05). DEHP and DnBP were the most abundant components in most crop samples, accounting for 31.6%~77.9% and 21.1%~64.7%, respectively, of the 6 PAEs. The concentrations of the PAEs, DnBP and DEHP in cereal grains were lower than those in the reference doses. The BCFs of the 6 PAEs and of each PAE in cereal grains were 0.43~1.25 and 0.33~35.75, respectively. The BCFs of butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) were the highest (1.41~35.75), followed by DMP and DEHP. There were almost no significant differences in the BCFs of each PAE among the three treatments. The total carcinogenic risks of PAEs were 2.82 × 10 −5 for adults and 1.81 × 10 −5 for children. The total non-carcinogenic risks of PAEs were 3.37 × 10 −1 for adults and 7.98 × 10 −1 for children. DHEP was the dominant contributor to both risks, and the intake of cereals was the main exposure pathway for the two risks. In conclusion, there were no significant effects of reclaimed irrigation water on the concentrations of PAEs in soil and cereal grains compared with groundwater irrigation, and the human health risks were within ...

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Degradation and impact of phthalate plasticizers on soil microbial communities

Cited by 115 publications

References 35 publications

Leaching of the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) from plastic containers and the question of human exposure

Leaching of the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) from plastic containers and the question of human exposure

Contamination and remediation of phthalic acid esters in agricultural soils in China: a review

Assessing the Risk of Phthalate Ester (PAE) Contamination in Soils and Crops Irrigated with Treated Sewage Effluent

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