Organophosphate esters (OPEs) in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in urban, e-waste, and background regions of South China

Yuan Zeng; Nan Ding; Ting Wang; Mi Tian; Yun Fan; Tao Wang; She-Jun Chen; Bi-Xian Mai

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121583

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) in fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) in urban, e-waste, and background regions of South China

J Hazard Mater. 2020 Mar 5:385:121583. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121583. Epub 2019 Nov 4.

Authors

Yuan Zeng¹, Nan Ding², Ting Wang², Mi Tian³, Yun Fan², Tao Wang⁴, She-Jun Chen⁵, Bi-Xian Mai⁶

Affiliations

¹ Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
³ School of Urban Construction and Environmental Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China.
⁴ Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
⁵ Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: shejun.chen@m.scnu.edu.cn.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.

PMID: 31732355
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121583

Abstract

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are a focus of research because they are ubiquitous in the environment; however, there is still a limited understanding of the behaviors and fate of OPEs in the environment. In this study, we measured OPEs in fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) collected from three regions in South China that have potentially different sources. The concentrations of ∑OPEs in the rural electronic waste (e-waste) recycling area (3852-57,695 pg/m³ with a median of 10,955 pg/m³) were significantly higher than those in the urban and background areas with concentrations of 314-9721 pg/m³ (median = 2346 pg/m³) and 667 and 109,599 pg/m³ (median = 2170 pg/m³), respectively. The OPE compositions in the urban and e-waste areas were generally similar. Correlations analysis with other components of PM_2.5 (organic carbon, elemental carbon, and water soluble ions) indicated primary industrial and e-waste sources of OPEs in the urban and e-waste regions, respectively. Correlation analysis also revealed that relative humility played an important role in their air concentrations in the urban and background regions. The air-parcel backward trajectories of the background site demonstrated regional atmospheric transport of OPEs to this region from both the eastern industrial cities and the northern e-waste recycling region.

Keywords: Atmospheric reaction; Backward trajectories; Source; Temporal variation; Transport.

Publication types

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