Pollution levels and health risk assessment of particulate phthalic acid esters in arid urban areas

The pollution levels and health risks of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) in atmospheric particulates in a typical arid urban area of China were studied and discussed in this paper. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyze the PAE concentrations at seven sites in Changji City during all four seasons. The results indicated that total PAE in atmospheric particulates ranged from 40 to 388 ng m−3 in 2014. The PAE concentrations also showed significant seasonal variation with relatively higher values in summer and autumn (191 and 319 ng m−3) than in spring and winter (70 and 55 ng m−3). Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were found as predominant compounds in PAEs accounting for ca. 90% of the total. Evidence confirms that factors including anthropogenic activities and total suspended particulate matter concentration (TSP) influenced the spatial distribution of phthalates in the atmosphere. The non-cancer and cancer risks assessment of PAEs using U.S. EPA method showed that the respective values were <1 for the former, and <10−6 for the latter; therefore, both of them were within the acceptable level and met the international guidelines. The study here establishes a baseline for future monitoring and management of these contaminants in arid area.