Sources and fate of nonylphenol ethoxylates and their metabolites in the Dutch coastal zone of the North Sea

The main sources of A9PEO in sediments in the Dutch coastal zone were identified as the Rhine and Scheldt estuaries, dump sites for harbour dredge and in some cases production platforms. For the water phase, the most likely sources of A9PEO seem to be discharges from ships at open sea.