Status of phthalate esters in tobacco cultivation soils and its health risk to Chinese people

Purpose Phthalate esters (PAEs) have been and remain the most widely used plasticizers worldwide, and they are also the most frequently detected environmental pollutants. It is known that the management style and agricultural inputs should play a critical role in the PAE contamination. However, the status of six priority controlled PAEs remains unclear in soils used for tobacco on farms that are under the compulsorily management of national tobacco company. Materials and methods The samples included soils, water, and fertilizers were collected from tobacco cultivation sites in the Shandong province. The six priority controlled PAEs were extracted from the samples according to the reported methods, and they were analyzed using a GC-TQ-MS/MS under MRM mode. The hazard quotients and carcinogenic risks for people by gender and age were assessed first time by the recommended method of US Environmental Protection Agency. Results and discussion Soils were contaminated by PAEs from 218.4 to 1168.9 mu g kg(-1), with the average value of 611.1 mu g kg(-1). More than 80% sigma(6)PAEs consisted of DBP and DEHP, and regional characteristics of Shandong province showed the highest content of DBP. Besides plastic film, agricultural inputs such as irrigation water and fertilizers were also the PAE sources. At present, the non-cancer risk has not exceeded the threshold of 1, and carcinogenic risk was still low in the range of 10(-6)-10(-4)with the highest risk of DEHP exposure through dietary consumption. Conclusions Pollution status of PAEs in tobacco cultivation soils and its health risk to Chinese people were already present at low levels. Thus, we should pay more attention to PAE contamination in order to prevent further deterioration, particularly for the DEHP exposure to middle-aged people.

Automated summary

PAEs are widely used plasticizers and common environmental pollutants. Soils used for tobacco cultivation contain PAEs, primarily DBP and DEHP. The carcinogenic risk of PAE exposure to Chinese people is low at present, with DEHP exposure through dietary consumption being the main concern.