Occurence of the phthalate esters in soil and street dust samples from the Novi Sad city area, Serbia, and the influence on the children's and adults' exposure

All 6 PAEs were detected in every analyzed soil and street dust samples from 0.0002 mg kg−1 to 4.82 mg kg−1, with the highest level obtained for di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), which was the most dominant PAE (70-96%). The highest total PAEs (Σ6PAEs) contents in soil (2.12 mg kg−1) and street dust (5.45 mg kg−1) samples were obtained for the samples from city parks. In all soil samples, Σ6PAEs exceeded the soil sustainable quality limit sets by the relevant Serbian Regulation, but were much lower than the limit requiring remediation measures. Concerning the estimated DIs, children were more susceptible to PAEs intake than adults regardless of the exposure routes. All the estimated DIs values were far below the known reference values.