Comprehensive evaluation of organophosphate ester contamination in surface water and sediment of the Bohai Sea, China.

This study investigated the occurrence and profile of 14 organophosphate esters (OPEs) in surface water and sediment of the whole Bohai Sea. A total of 53 pairs of surface water and sediment samples were collected and the contained OPEs were quantified using a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The average concentrations of OPEs in surface water and sediment were in the range of 0–92.9 ng/L and 0.001–8.58 ng/g dry weight (dw), respectively, with tri (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) as the predominant congener in both compartments. The total concentrations of 14 OPEs (∑ 14 OPEs) in surface water and sediment were in the range of 10.9–516.4 ng/L and 1.42–52.9 ng/g dw, respectively. The inventories of ∑ 14 OPEs were calculated to be 179.3 tons in the water and 101.5 tons in the sediment. Based on the risk quotients (RQs), the ecological risks of OPEs to the aquatic organisms in the Bohai Sea were considered to be negligible. • TCEP was the dominant OPE in both surface water and sediment of the Bohai Sea. • Higher levels of OPEs were detected in Bohai Bay and Laizhou Bay. • The estimated loads of OPEs in water and sediment were 179 and 102 tons, respectively. • OPE contamination posed negligible risks to the aquatic organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]