Occurrence and distribution of organophosphate esters in urban soils of the subtropical city, Guangzhou, China

- The OPEs were widely detected in the urban soil.
- TBOEP was the most abundant OPEs.
- The spatial distribution of OPEs was site-specific.
- Human activities influence the distribution of OPEs in the urban soils.

67 soil samples from the road greenbelts, the paddy/vegetable fields, the parks, the commercial and residential areas in the subtropical city, Guangzhou, China, were collected and analyzed for 11 organophosphate esters (OPEs) and triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO). OPEs were detected in all soil samples analyzed, which indicate that OPEs are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. The ∑11OPEs concentrations ranged from 0.041 mg kg−1-dry weight (dw) to 1.37 mg kg−1-dw, with the mean and median concentrations of 0.25 mg kg−1-dw and 0.24 mg kg−1-dw, respectively. High concentrations of OPEs were observed in the roadside soils collected from the commercial areas with heavy traffic and extensive anthropogenic activities. Of 11 OPEs, tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP), tri-cresyl-phosphate (TMPP), tributyl phosphate (TNBP) and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) were the most abundant OPEs, contributing 42.8 ± 15.4%, 17.2 ± 11.9%, 10.9 ± 6.85% and 9.70 ± 9.56% of ∑11OPEs, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) suggested that OPEs accumulation in the urban soils derived from different sources. As compared to the results for other studies, the urban soils of Guangzhou were moderately polluted by OPEs.

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