Occurrence of organic plastic additives in surface waters of the Rhône River (France)

Abstract

We present here a comprehensive study (1-year regular sampling) on the occurrence of major families of organic plastic additives in the Rhône River surface waters. Potential sources and contaminant export are also discussed. A total of 22 dissolved phase samples were analyzed for 22 organic additives mainly used in the plastic industry, including organophosphate esters (OPEs), phthalates (PAEs) and bisphenols (BPs). Our results indicate that PAEs were the most abundant class, with concentrations ranging from 97 to 541 ng L À1 , followed by OPEs (85e265 ng L À1 ) and BPs (4e21 ng L À1 ). Among PAEs, diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) was the most abundant compound, whereas TCPP (Tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate) and TnBP (Tri(n-butyl)phosphate) were the predominant OPEs. Bisphenol S was the only BP detected. 5 e54 metric tons year À1 of dissolved organic plastic additives of emerging concern are estimated to be exported to the Gulf of Lion by the Rhône River, which is the main freshwater source of the Mediterranean Sea.

Highlights from a review of microplastics in marine sediments

“…For organic plastic additives in MP, thermal analysis is recommended. On the other hand, chemical extraction has been well developed in recent years for these compounds [141][142][143] .…”

Environmental occurrence of phthalate and organophosphate esters in sediments across the Gulf of Lion (NW Mediterranean Sea)

“…In addition, both atmospheric (Castro-Jiménez et al, 2017) and riverine inputs of organic contaminants (Schmidt et al, 2019;Castro-Jiménez et al, 2019) have been reported in the area. Indeed, a recent study showed that PAEs and OPEs are transported by the Rhône River surface waters (Schmidt et al, 2020). The main objectives are; i) to determine the environmental concentrations of PAEs and OPEs in sediments affected by different anthropogenic signatures; ii) to discuss their spatial distribution in the Gulf of Lion; iii) to explore the role of the Rhône River in delivering PAEs and OPEs associated with its sedimentary inputs in the area.…”

COVID-19 discarded disposable gloves as a source and a vector of pollutants in the environment

“…The occurrence of plastics in the environment has wide negative effects on living organisms. Currently, additives leached from plastics are present in the environment ( Sackaria and Elango, 2020 , Schmidt et al, 2020 ). Beside the additives with toxic effects, which can be released and get to water or soil, microplastics can be ingested for instance by marine species and release toxins directly into the body ( Alomar et al, 2017 , Du et al, 2020 , Koongolla et al, 2020 , Ozturk and Altinok, 2020 ).…”