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

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2019.105343

Contamination profiles and potential health risks of organophosphate flame retardants in PM_2.5 from Guangzhou and Taiyuan, China

Environ Int. 2020 Jan:134:105343. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105343. Epub 2019 Nov 25.

Authors

Yanyan Chen¹, Yuanyuan Song², Yi-Jie Chen³, Yanhao Zhang², Ruijin Li⁴, Yujie Wang³, Zenghua Qi³, Zhi-Feng Chen⁵, Zongwei Cai⁶

Affiliations

¹ 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.
² State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
³ 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.
⁴ Institute of Environmental Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China.
⁵ 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. Electronic address: chenzhf@gdut.edu.cn.
⁶ 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. Electronic address: zwcai@hkbu.edu.hk.

PMID: 31778934
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105343

Abstract

Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) are emerging contaminants in recent years. They can be present in the atmospheric fine particle (PM_2.5), leading to potential adverse effects on humans. In this study, the concentrations and in vitro toxicities of OPFRs in PM_2.5 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 PM_2.5 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 PM_2.5 concentrations and indirectly associated with ROS production induced by PM_2.5 from Taiyuan. Exposure to PM_2.5-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: Contamination profile; Health risk assessment; In vitro assay; Organophosphate flame retardants; PM(2.5).

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Child, Preschool
China
Environmental Exposure / adverse effects*
Environmental Monitoring
Flame Retardants / adverse effects*
Humans
Organophosphates / adverse effects*
Particulate Matter / adverse effects*
Risk Assessment

Substances

Flame Retardants
Organophosphates
Particulate Matter