Functional
Group-Dependent Screening of Organophosphate
Esters (OPEs) and Discovery of an Abundant OPE Bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-phenyl
Phosphate in Indoor Dust
posted on 2020-03-11, 12:39authored byWeikun Meng, Jianhua Li, Jinyou Shen, Yirong Deng, Robert J. Letcher, Guanyong Su
There is increasing
scientific interest in environmental pollution
and the effect on public health caused by organophosphate esters (OPEs).
Using liquid chromatography coupled to a hybrid quadrupole Orbitrap
high-resolution mass spectrometer, a novel, robust, and untargeted
screening strategy for the identification of novel OPEs in indoor
dust samples was presently developed based on the characteristic molecular
fragmentation pathways, and 12 previously reported OPEs and six previously
unrecognized OPEs were detected in the combined extracts of indoor
dust samples, collected in Nanjing, eastern China. One of the six
detected OPEs, bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-phenyl phosphate (BEHPP), was identified
by comparison of unique LC and MS characteristics with a synthesized
pure standard. Accurate concentrations of BEHPP were determined in n = 50 individual indoor dust samples with 100% detection
frequency with a median concentration range of 50–1530 ng/g
dry weight, which were generally greater or at least comparable to
traditional OPEs, that is, triphenyl phosphate and 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl
phosphate (EHDPP), in the same dust samples. Statistically significant,
positive correlations were found for log-transformed concentrations
of BEHPP versus EHDPP (r2 = 0.7884, p < 0.0001), and BEHPP versus tris(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate
(r2 = 0.4054, p <
0.0001), suggesting their similar commercial applications and sources
in the environment.