Abstract：
Emerging aryl organophosphate esters (aryl-OPEs) have been employed as substitutes for organohalogen flame retardants in recent years; however, their environmental occurrence and associated impacts in urban estuarine sediments have not been adequately investigated, impeding regulatory decision-making. Herein, field-based investigations and modeling based on surface sediment and sediment core analysis were employed to uncover the historical pollution and current environmental impacts of aryl-OPEs in the Pearl River Estuary, South China. Our results revealed a substantial increase in aryl-OPE emission, particularly emerging aryl-OPEs, through sediment transport to the estuary since the 2000s. The emerging aryl-OPEs comprised 83% of the total annual input in the past decade, with an average annual input of 155,000 g. Additionally, the emerging-to-traditional aryl-OPE concentration ratios increased with decreasing distance from the shore, peaking in the highly urbanized riverine outlets. These findings indicate that inventories of emerging aryl-OPEs are likely increasing in estuarine sediments and their emissions are surpassing those of traditional aryl-OPEs. Our risk-based priority screening approach indicates that some emerging aryl-OPEs, particularly bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate), can pose a higher environmental risk than traditional aryl-OPEs in estuarine sediments. Overall, our study highlights the importance of recognizing the environmental impacts of emerging aryl-OPEs.
摘要：
近年来，新兴的芳基有机磷酸酯（芳基-OPEs）已被用作有机卤素阻燃剂的替代品；然而，它们在城市河口沉积物中的环境发生和相关影响尚未得到充分调查，阻碍监管决策。在这里，基于表层沉积物和沉积物核心分析的实地调查和建模被用来揭示珠江口芳基-OPEs的历史污染和当前环境影响，华南。我们的结果表明，芳基-OPE发射大幅增加，特别是新兴的芳基-OPEs，自2000年代以来，通过泥沙输送到河口。在过去十年中，新兴的芳基-OPEs占年度总投入的83%，平均每年投入155,000克。此外，新兴与传统的芳基-OPE浓度比随着与海岸距离的减小而增加，在高度城市化的河流出口达到顶峰。这些发现表明，河口沉积物中新兴的芳基-OPEs库存可能会增加，其排放量已超过传统的芳基-OPEs。我们基于风险的优先筛选方法表明，一些新兴的芳基-OPEs，特别是双酚A双(磷酸二苯酯)，在河口沉积物中比传统的芳基-OPEs具有更高的环境风险。总的来说,我们的研究强调了认识到新兴芳基-OPEs对环境的影响的重要性.
