Occurrence of organic plastic additives in surface waters of the Rhône River (France)

Natascha Schmidt (1) , Javier Castro-Jiménez (1) , Vincent Fauvelle (1) , Melanie Ourgaud (1) , Richard Sempere (1)

1 MIO - Institut méditerranéen d'océanologie

We present here a comprehensive study (1-year regular sampling) on the occurrence of major families of organic plastic additives in the Rhône River surface waters. Potential sources and contaminant export are also discussed. A total of 22 dissolved phase samples were analyzed for 22 organic additives mainly used in the plastic industry, including organophosphate esters (OPEs), phthalates (PAEs) and bisphenols (BPs). Our results indicate that PAEs were the most abundant class, with concentrations ranging from 97 to 541 ng L À1 , followed by OPEs (85e265 ng L À1) and BPs (4e21 ng L À1). Among PAEs, diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) was the most abundant compound, whereas TCPP (Tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate) and TnBP (Tri(n-butyl)phosphate) were the predominant OPEs. Bisphenol S was the only BP detected. 5 e54 metric tons year À1 of dissolved organic plastic additives of emerging concern are estimated to be exported to the Gulf of Lion by the Rhône River, which is the main freshwater source of the Mediter-ranean Sea.

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]; Ocean, Atmosphere; Environmental Sciences; Environmental Sciences; Global Changes

Natascha Schmidt, Javier Castro-Jiménez, Vincent Fauvelle, Melanie Ourgaud, Richard Sempere. Occurrence of organic plastic additives in surface waters of the Rhône River (France). Environmental Pollution, 2019, pp.113637. ⟨10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113637⟩. ⟨hal-02366785⟩