Contamination profiles and potential health risks of organophosphate flame retardants in PM2.5 from Guangzhou and Taiyuan, China

Yanyan Chen; Yuanyuan Song; Yi-Jie Chen; Yanhao Zhang; Ruijin Li; Yujie Wang; Zenghua Qi; Zhi-Feng Chen; Zongwei Cai

Environment International (Jan 2020)

Contamination profiles and potential health risks of organophosphate flame retardants in PM2.5 from Guangzhou and Taiyuan, China

Yanyan Chen,
Yuanyuan Song,
Yi-Jie Chen,
Yanhao Zhang,
Ruijin Li,
Yujie Wang,
Zenghua Qi,
Zhi-Feng Chen,
Zongwei Cai

Affiliations

Yanyan Chen: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
Yuanyuan Song: State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
Yi-Jie Chen: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Yanhao Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
Ruijin Li: Institute of Environmental Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China
Yujie Wang: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Zenghua Qi: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Zhi-Feng Chen: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Corresponding authors at: Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China (Z.-F. Chen). Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China (Z. Cai).
Zongwei Cai: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 134

Abstract

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Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) are emerging contaminants in recent years. They can be present in the atmospheric fine particle (PM2.5), leading to potential adverse effects on humans. In this study, the concentrations and in vitro toxicities of OPFRs in PM2.5 samples were investigated for one year at Guangzhou and Taiyuan in China. Eleven OPFRs, including chloro-, aryl-, and alkyl-substituted OPFRs, were detected at total concentrations ranging from 3.10 to 544 ng m−3. Chloro-substituted OPFRs were the dominant contaminants. Based on the statistical analysis, the same contamination sources of all OPFRs were found except for tris(butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) and triethyl phosphate (TEP), which may come from traffic emission. The results of cell viability and dithiothreitol assays indicated that OPFRs and PM2.5 could induce the death of normal lung epithelial cells and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), respectively. According to the redundancy analysis, the distribution of OPFRs was significantly related to the PM2.5 concentrations and indirectly associated with ROS production induced by PM2.5 from Taiyuan. Exposure to PM2.5-bound OPFRs in Guangzhou and Taiyuan only posed minimum health risks to both toddlers and adults. These findings could provide important evidence to better clarify the contamination profiles and human health risks of OPFRs in atmospheric fine particles. Keywords: Organophosphate flame retardants, PM2.5, Contamination profile, In vitro assay, Health risk assessment

Published in Environment International

ISSN: 0160-4120 (Print)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international

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