Health risk assessment of plasticizer in wastewater effluents and receiving freshwater systems

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the potential human impacts health associated with PE found in the final effluent from wastewater treatment plants and river water receiving effluent wastes. The screening risk assessment has highlighted that possible health risks can be anticipated resulting from ingestion of vegetables irrigated with the water and ingestion of fish from the rivers on a regular basis. There are many uncertainties in any health risk assessment, and this study presents a screening or rapid human health risk assessment. Seasonal and spatial variations were considered in this health risk assessment as the average concentrations tested over the 4 seasons were used in the average daily dose calculations. In addition to sample variation, dose calculations also represent uncertainty, based on the assumption of the number of times a year that people eat certain foods and the amount of that food eaten. Future investigations need to focus on verifying the uptake of phthalates into vegetables and fish via water as this has highlighted that although levels were considered to be safe in the water, bio-accumulation is possible into both fish and vegetables to levels considered to be unacceptable by the US EPA and WHO.