Atmospheric phthalate pollution in plastic agricultural greenhouses in Shaanxi Province, China. (15th January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Xinkai; Zhang, Yanxia; Huang, Biao; Chen, Zhikun; Zhong, Ming; Wang, Weixi; Liu, Xiaofei; Fan, Ya' nan; Hu, Wenyou
• Is Part Of: Environmental pollution. Volume 269(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-01-15
• Subjects: Phthalate concentrations -- Atmospheric pollution -- Plastic greenhouses -- Seasonal variation; Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Environmental Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Périodiques; Pollution -- Aspect de l'environnement -- Périodiques; Pollution -- Effets physiologiques -- Périodiques; Pollution; Pollution -- Environmental aspects; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 363.73
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116096
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0269-7491

Abstract

Abstract: Phthalate pollution in soil and vegetables in plastic agricultural greenhouses has attracted wide concern. Investigating airborne phthalates in this environment can improve understanding of air-soil or air-vegetable phthalate migration. However, studies of phthalates in plastic agricultural greenhouse air are rare. To fill this gap, 25 gas-phase and 23 particle-phase samples were collected from 12 typical plastic greenhouses in Shaanxi. 16 types of phthalates were measured by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry system (GC-MS) to analyse their pollution features and variations. Results showed that in the air of the plastic greenhouses, the median concentration of the sum of sixteen type phthalates (∑16 phthalates) was 5305 ng m −3, with 5th-95th value of 1214–9616 ng m −3 . Phthalates in gas-phase samples were over 100 times higher than the levels in particle-phase samples. Air phthalate concentrations in the plastic greenhouses were higher than those in the control groups (P < 0.05). Air bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) accounted for 66.9% and 29.3% of total ∑16 phthalate concentrations, respectively. Air phthalate concentrations in the plastic greenhouses in winter were 1.1–5.3 times higher than the levels in summer respectively (P < 0.05). Gas-particle partition coefficients ( K P ) values of DEHP in summer (median of 1.52 × 10 −4 m 3 μg −1 ) were higher than K P values of DnBP in summer (0.60 × 10 −4 m 3 μg −1 ). Log-transformed K P values of DnBP and DEHP were linear correlated to the reciprocal of air temperatures, respectively (P < 0.05). Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: We studied 16 types of phthalates in plastic greenhouse (PG) air. Phthalates in gas-phase samples were over 100 times of those in particle-phase. The sum of DEHP and DnBP was over 90% of total Σ16 phthalates in air of PGs. Phthalates in PG air in winter were 1.0–6.7 times higher than those in summer. Log K P values of air DEHP and DnBP were linear correlated to 1/ T (P < 0.05).