Organophosphate Flame Retardants and Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Drinking Water Treatment Plants from Korea: Occurrence and Human Exposure

Wonjin Sim, Sol Choi, Gyojin Choo, Mihee Yang, Ju-Hyun Park and Jeong-Eun Oh
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Wonjin Sim: Education & Research Center for Infrastructure of Smart Ocean City (i-SOC Center), Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
Sol Choi: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
Gyojin Choo: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
Mihee Yang: Department of Environmental Infrastructure Research, National Institute of Environmental Research, Ministry of Environment, Incheon 22689, Korea
Ju-Hyun Park: Department of Environmental Infrastructure Research, National Institute of Environmental Research, Ministry of Environment, Incheon 22689, Korea
Jeong-Eun Oh: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-11

Abstract: In this study, the concentrations of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFR) and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were investigated in raw water and treated water samples obtained from 18 drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs). The ? 13 OPFR concentrations in the treated water samples (29.5–122 ng/L; median 47.5 ng/L) were lower than those in the raw water (37.7–231 ng/L; median 98.1 ng/L), which indicated the positive removal rates (0–80%) of ? 13 OPFR in the DWTPs. The removal efficiencies of ? 27 PFAS in the DWTPs ranged from ?200% to 50%, with the ? 27 PFAS concentrations in the raw water (4.15–154 ng/L; median 32.0 ng/L) being similar to or lower than those in the treated water (4.74–116 ng/L; median 42.2 ng/L). Among OPFR, tris(chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) were dominant in both raw water and treated water samples obtained from the DWTPs. The dominant PFAS (perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)) in the raw water samples were slightly different from those in the treated water samples (PFOA, L-perfluorohexane sulfonate (L-PFHxS), and PFHxA). The 95-percentile daily intakes of ? 13 OPFR and ? 27 PFAS via drinking water consumption were estimated to be up to 4.9 ng/kg/d and 0.22 ng/kg/d, respectively. The hazard index values of OPFR and PFAS were lower than 1, suggesting the risks less than known hazardous levels.

Keywords: organophosphate flame retardants (OPFR); perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); drinking water treatment plants; occurrence; human exposure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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