A nationwide survey of 31 organophosphate esters in sewage sludge from the United States

Abstract Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are used as flame retardants and plasticizers in a wide range of consumer products. Nevertheless, studies on the occurrence and inventory of OPEs in sewage sludge are limited. In this study, 20 OP triesters and 11 diesters were measured in 75 archived sewage sludge samples collected from 67 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) across the United States (US). The median concentrations of ∑20OP-triesters and ∑11OP-diesters in sludge were 1290 and 78.4 ng/g dry weight (dw), respectively. Sludge samples originating from the Western and Northeastern US contained higher concentrations of OP triesters than did those from the Midwestern and Southern US. Sludge samples from WWTPs with larger treatment capacity (>38 million liters per day) contained higher concentrations of OP diesters (p