Human Health Risk Assessment of Organophosphate Esters in Urban Topsoils of Shenyang, China

Abstract

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are a class of synthetic chemical additives that as the primary substitute of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been extensively used as flame retardants and plasticizers in various commercial products [1]. Due to OPEs not bonding chemically to the finished products, they are easy to release into the surrounding environment through abrasion, volatilization and leaching. In recent years, OPEs have been ubiquitously found in all kinds of environmental media (water, sediment, soil, etc.) and living organisms [1-3], plus in blood, breast milk and placenta for different concentration levels [4]. However, OPEs are not safe and are potentially harmful to the ecosystem and humans. Thus far, most OPEs have been proven to induce toxicity effects on

Heavy Metal Characterization and Health Risk Assessment in Agricultural Soils from an Agate Dyeing Village

“…Table 1 [37][38][39][40][41][42][43] presents detailed information on the probabilistic exposure factors. Exposure assessments were determined by performing Monte Carlo simulations using Crystal Ball 11.1 software with the listed parameters.…”