Development and use of polyethylene passive samplers to detect triclosans and alkylphenols in an Urban estuary

Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

3-15-2011

Abstract

To be able to use polyethylene passive samplers (PE) in the field, the partitioning constants between PE and water (K PEw) of the compounds examined must be known. The K PEws of triclosan (TCS), methyl-triclosan (MTCS), n-nonylphenol (n-NP), nonylphenol- technical mix (NP-tech), n-octylphenol (n-OP), and t-octylphenol (t-OP) were measured as a function of pH, temperature, andsalinity, and a salt effect was calculated for TCS, n-OP, and t-OP. Log K PEws used for calculating dissolved concentrations were taken from 20 °C studies taking salt into account: 3.42 (TCS), 4.53 (MTCS), 4.20 (n-NP), 3.69 (n-OP), and 2.87 (t-OP). The K PEw of hydroxyl-group containing compounds were strongly affected by pH, whereas MTCS with its methoxy-group was not. Measured K PEws could not be estimated from octanol-water partitioning constants due to the semipolar makeup of the compounds investigated. Instead, a good correlation (K PEw = 0.679×K hdw+1.033, r 2 = 0.984, p = 0.001) was obtained with hexadecane-water partitioning constants (K hdw) predicted from COSMOtherm. During deployments in Narragansett Bay (RI) in the fall of 2009, concentrations of MTCS and t-OP in surface and bottom waters ranged from 40-225 pg L -1 and 3.5-11 ng L -1, respectively. These concentrations are far below EC50 values for rainbow trout. Surface/bottom and bottom/porewater activity ratios werecalculated. These indicated surface waters as the main source of MTCS, while surface water as well as sediments were sources of t-OP. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

Publication Title, e.g., Journal

Environmental Science and Technology

Volume

45

Issue

6

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS