Tissue distribution and bioaccumulation of organophosphate esters in wild marine fish from Laizhou Bay, North China: Implications of human exposure via fish consumption

Despite organophosphate esters (OPEs) are ubiquitous in the environment, limited information is available about their tissue-specific accumulation potential in marine fish and exposure risks. Ten fish species from the coastal area of Laizhou Bay, North China, were sampled and analyzed to investigate tissue levels, bioaccumulation, and human exposure risks of 20 OPEs. Seventeen OPEs were detected in fish tissues with total concentration ranging from 6.6–107 ng/g dry weight. The average log bioaccumulation factor (BAF) values of OPEs ranged from 2.8 to 4.4 in livers, 2.3–3.8 in muscles, 2.5–3.9 in gills, and 2.8–4.4 in kidneys. The log BAF values of OPEs significantly increased with increasing their log KOW values (r = 0.55–0.63, p < 0.001). The estimated daily intake of OPEs ranged from 1.7–12.0 and 3.1–22.1 ng/kg bw/d for rural and urban residents, respectively. The hazard quotients of OPEs were in the range of 4 × 10 −5 to 6.7 × 10 −4 and 7 × 10 −5 to 1.2 × 10 −3 for rural and urban residents, respectively. Results showed that the human health risks of OPEs associated with fish consumption is at low level.