Anthropogenic Occurrence of Phthalate Esters in Beach Seawater in the Southeast Coast Region, South Korea

In modern times, humans have contributed to the occurrence of phthalate esters (PEs) in various environmental matrices by consuming plastics that generally contain PEs, which are essential synthetic organic chemicals for fabrication of various consumer products. Five beaches in Ulsan and Busan, South Korea, were investigated for the anthropogenic occurrence of four PEs (dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)) in beach seawater. Using stir-bar sorptive extraction-thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, DnBP and DEHP were determined as generally dominant. At Ilsan Beach, both the northern and southern ends showed higher DnBP and DEHP concentrations than the middle of the beach, while DMP and DEP showed similar concentrations at all points. The differences in the DnBP and DEHP concentrations may be related to the fishery industry and domestic sewage inflow to the beach. In addition, a comparison among Ilsan, Imnang, and Songjeong beaches suggested the effects of neighboring industrial areas on the DnBP and DEHP ratio. This study provides information on the effects of seasons, weather events, the proximity of rivers, industrial behavior, and domestic sewage to PE concentrations in beach seawater.