Objective To identify health risks to human beings caused by phthalates (PAEs) and di (2-ethyl hexyl) adipate (DEHA) in the source water and finished water in Hefei, China.
Methods Water samples were collected from the Western Chaohu Lake and two municipal waterworks A and B (including source water and finished water) of Hefei in level, wet, and dry periods. The PAEs and DEHA in water samples were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) combining solid-phase extraction technique, and a health risk assessment model recommended by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was used to quantitatively evaluate carcinogenic risk and non-carcinogenic risk by the way of drinking.
Results Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), and DEHA were detected in all collected samples and well within the limits of the National Standards for Drinking Water Quality (GB 5749-2006). Among them, DEHP and DBP were major pollutants, which took 60.22% and 21.43% respectively on average. No obvious differences were found in selected plasticizers across different water periods. The highest total contamination level was found in the wet period, followed by the dry period and the level period. The carcinogenic risk estimated from the water samples was 0.80& #215;10-6-2.72& #215;10-6, and the non-carcinogenic risk was 2.95& #215;10-3-1.04& #215;10-2. DEHP was the leading contributor to the calculated carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks, accounting for 99.0%-99.4% and 92.8%-93.8% of contributions, respectively.
Conclusion The source water and finished water in Hefei are polluted by PAEs and DEHA to various degrees of severity; however, the carcinogenic risk and the non-carcinogenic risk are at an acceptable level according to the US EPA's recommended limits.
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