Occurrence, distribution, potential sources, and risks of organophosphate esters in fresh snow on Urumqi Glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan, China

Yishen Wang; Yuxin Ma; Jinghua Zhang; Zhongqin Li; Feiteng Wang; Shuang-Ye Wu; Jianxin Mu; Xiang Zou; Jianjie Liu; Zhaojun Zhan; Shugui Hou

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169149

Occurrence, distribution, potential sources, and risks of organophosphate esters in fresh snow on Urumqi Glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan, China

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Feb 20:912:169149. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169149. Epub 2023 Dec 6.

Authors

Yishen Wang¹, Yuxin Ma², Jinghua Zhang¹, Zhongqin Li³, Feiteng Wang³, Shuang-Ye Wu⁴, Jianxin Mu³, Xiang Zou⁵, Jianjie Liu¹, Zhaojun Zhan¹, Shugui Hou⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China.
² School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China. Electronic address: yuxin.ma@sjtu.edu.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China.
⁴ Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469, USA.
⁵ School of Geography, Geomatics, and Planning, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China.
⁶ School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China. Electronic address: shuguihou@sjtu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38061641
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169149

Abstract

Organophosphate esters (OPEs), extensively used as flame retardants, are widely detected in various regions and environments. The potential toxicity of OPEs has caused great concern in recent years. Based on the global distillation model, the Tien Shan glaciers, such as Urumqi Glacier No. 1, could be as a potential "sink" for OPEs. However, little is known about the concentration, distribution, potential sources, and ecological risks of OPEs in Tien Shan glaciers. In this study, fresh snow samples were collected at various altitudes on the Urumqi Glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan, China. The total concentrations of ten OPEs (Σ₁₀OPEs) ranged from 116 to 152 ng/L. The most abundant OPE was tris-(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP), contributing to 74 % of the total OPEs. Σ₁₀OPEs, tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP), and TCIPP concentrations showed positive correlations with altitude, indicating the effect of cold condensation on OPEs deposition. Based on air mass back-trajectory analysis and principal component analysis, we found that emissions from both traffic and household products in indoor environment were the important sources, and OPEs on the Urumqi Glacier No. 1 might mainly originate from Europe. Our assessment also showed triphenyl phosphate (TPhP) posed a low ecological risk in snow. This is the first systematic study of OPEs on the Tien Shan glaciers.

Keywords: Ecological risk assessment; Fresh snow; Organophosphate esters; Tien Shan glaciers.