Characteristics and Origin of Phthalic Acid Esters in Groundwater at Eastern Foshan, Guangdong

In order to find out the distribution characteristics of phthalic acid esters(PAEs) in groundwater,which include dimethyl phthalate(DMP),diethyl phthalate(DEP),di-n-butyl phthalate(DnBP),butyl benzyl phthalate(BBP),bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate(DEHP),and di-n-octyl phthalate(DnOP),sixty-nine groups of groundwater samples and 12 groups of surface water samples collected from the east area of Foshan during 2005 to 2007 were tested by gas chromatography and mass spectrum.The results show that the detection rate of PAEs is 59.4% in groundwater,and the total PAEs concentration is lower than 7.6 μg/L.Of 6 kinds of PAEs,only DEHP and DnBP have been detected.The PAEs concentrations in groundwater do not exceed the standard.Most samples with PAEs are distributed in the centre of research area.Most groundwater samples contain one kind of PAEs,only some samples have two kinds of PAEs.DnBP and DEHP are the dominating PAEs in groundwater and surface water,and PAEs concentrations in surface water are higher than those in groundwater.PAEs released from abandoned plastic products in environment and infiltrated from the surface are important sources of PAEs in groundwater at eastern Foshan area.Factors affecting the PAEs concentration of groundwater in eastern Foshan area include the total use of PAEs,the physicochemical properties of PAEs,microorganisms and their living conditions in groundwater,and land use status,etc.