Ecotoxicological effects of phthalate esters: A review

IF 7.3 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Environmental Pollution Pub Date : 2025-06-13 DOI:10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126664

Ying Xu , Mengyuan Pei , Zhuofan Li , Jiake Xu , Xiaoqing Yang , Le’an Chen , Cheng Zhang , Lusheng Zhu , Jun Wang , Peng Gao

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Phthalate esters (PAEs), widely employed as plasticizers, have garnered significant attention due to their multiple entry pathways into the environment, posing substantial threats to ecosystems. While current reviews predominantly focus on acute or high-dose toxicity in isolated environments or organisms, the present review addresses the critical knowledge gap. The present review encompasses peer-reviewed studies listed in the Web of Science from January 2017 to December 2024, excluding repetitive, irrelevant studies and those with invalid or incomplete data. Six common PAEs (BBP: butyl benzyl phthalate; DBP: di-n-butyl phthalate; DEHP: di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate; DEP: diethyl phthalate; DMP: dimethyl phthalate; DOP: di-n-octyl phthalate) were listed as priority control contaminants by the US EPA. We comprehensively examine the environmental distribution and ecotoxicological impacts of these six PAEs. The toxicity differences among six PAEs were evaluated by integrating several indicators, such as oxidative stress, developmental disruption, endocrine dysfunction, metabolic alterations, reproductive impairment, and neurotoxicity. The mixture interactions were also examined because environmental exposure typically involves multiple PAEs and co-contaminants rather than single compounds. The PAE concentrations range from 0.00220 to 25.1 mg kg⁻¹ and vary significantly with geographic location and soil cultivation type. Both aquatic organisms (e.g., fish and invertebrates) and soil organisms (e.g., earthworms and nematodes) exhibit pronounced toxic responses to various PAEs. The combined toxicity of PAEs with other environmental contaminants revealed synergistic/antagonistic effects—a critical consideration that is frequently overlooked in ecological risk assessments. The evidence presented provides a robust scientific foundation for updating current PAE regulations to address real-world exposure scenarios involving complex mixtures and long-term effects.

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邻苯二甲酸酯的生态毒理学效应研究进展

邻苯二甲酸酯（PAEs）被广泛用作增塑剂，由于其进入环境的多种途径，对生态系统构成重大威胁，引起了人们的广泛关注。虽然目前的综述主要集中在孤立环境或生物体中的急性或高剂量毒性，但本综述解决了关键的知识差距。本综述包括2017年1月至2024年12月在Web of Science上列出的同行评议研究，不包括重复的、不相关的研究以及无效或不完整的研究。六种常见PAEs (BBP：邻苯二甲酸丁苯酯；DBP：邻苯二甲酸二丁酯；DEHP：邻苯二甲酸二（2-乙基己基）；DEP：邻苯二甲酸二乙酯；DMP：邻苯二甲酸二甲酯；DOP：邻苯二甲酸二正辛酯)被美国环保局列为优先控制污染物。我们综合分析了这六种PAEs的环境分布和生态毒理学影响。通过综合氧化应激、发育障碍、内分泌功能障碍、代谢改变、生殖损伤和神经毒性等指标，评价6种PAEs的毒性差异。由于环境暴露通常涉及多种PAEs和共污染物，而不是单一化合物，因此还检查了混合物的相互作用。PAE浓度范围为0.00220 ~ 25.1 mg kg - 1，随地理位置和土壤耕作类型的不同而有显著差异。水生生物（如鱼类和无脊椎动物）和土壤生物（如蚯蚓和线虫）对各种PAEs都表现出明显的毒性反应。PAEs与其他环境污染物的联合毒性显示出协同/拮抗效应——这是生态风险评估中经常被忽视的一个关键因素。提出的证据为更新现行PAE法规提供了坚实的科学基础，以解决涉及复杂混合物和长期影响的现实暴露情景。

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来源期刊

Environmental Pollution 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

16.00

自引率

6.70%

发文量

2082

审稿时长

2.9 months

期刊介绍： Environmental Pollution is an international peer-reviewed journal that publishes high-quality research papers and review articles covering all aspects of environmental pollution and its impacts on ecosystems and human health. Subject areas include, but are not limited to: • Sources and occurrences of pollutants that are clearly defined and measured in environmental compartments, food and food-related items, and human bodies; • Interlinks between contaminant exposure and biological, ecological, and human health effects, including those of climate change; • Contaminants of emerging concerns (including but not limited to antibiotic resistant microorganisms or genes, microplastics/nanoplastics, electronic wastes, light, and noise) and/or their biological, ecological, or human health effects; • Laboratory and field studies on the remediation/mitigation of environmental pollution via new techniques and with clear links to biological, ecological, or human health effects; • Modeling of pollution processes, patterns, or trends that is of clear environmental and/or human health interest; • New techniques that measure and examine environmental occurrences, transport, behavior, and effects of pollutants within the environment or the laboratory, provided that they can be clearly used to address problems within regional or global environmental compartments.