An environmental exposure assessment of phthalate esters
This study examined the environmental risks associated with exposure to five phthalate esters in surface waters of North America and Europe (dimethyl-, diethyl-, di-n-butyl-, butylbenzyl-, and di-2-ethylhexylphthalate). Nearly 12,000 measurements of both in-stream concentrations and loadings to receiving waters of these five phthalate esters collected during the years 1988--1993 were analyzed. Sources of data included published reports, governmental studies, the USEPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), and the USEPA STORET database. Contrary to previously published reports, phthalate esters are not ubiquitously present in North American or European surface waters. For DMP, DEP, DBP, and BBP, aquatic toxicity data from recent compilations were compared to exposure data to derive actual margins of safety or hazard indices. Exposure data for DEHP was compared to its aqueous solubility, as toxicity test data show no acute or chronic toxicity at the true DEHP limit of solubility. Overall, the results show that phthalate esters are infrequently detected in surface water and that detected concentrations are not likely to present an unacceptable risk to aquatic organisms.
- OSTI ID:
- 460512
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-961149--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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