Pollution characteristics and risk assessment of organophosphate esters in aquaculture farms and natural water bodies adjacent to the Huanghe River delta

To date, little attention has been paid to the effects of organophosphate esters (OPEs) pollution on aquacultural environment and aquatic product safety. Huanghe (Yellow) River delta area is one of the largest aquaculture centers in China, where ecological security protection is crucial in the national strategy of China. To explore the pollution characteristics, bioaccumulation, and health risks of OPEs in aquaculture farms in the Huanghe River delta and natural water bodies in the adjacent seas, five species of organisms from different farm types nearby the Huanghe River delta, and the corresponding culture water and sediments were sampled in this study. The total concentrations of ∑ 13 OPEs in water, sediments, and organisms were 51.53–272.18 ng/L, 52.63–63.17 ng/g dry weight (dw), and 46.82–108.90 ng/g dw, respectively. Among the five types of culture ponds, the water samples from the swimming crab and hairy crab culture ponds exhibited higher OPEs, the concentration of OPEs in the sediments from the few ponds was relatively balanced, and the OPEs in the organism from the holothurian ponds was higher. Tris (1,3-dichloro-2-isopropyl phosphate) (TDCP) was the main contaminant in water samples and tripropyl phosphate (TPrP) in sediments and organisms. However, trisphenyl phosphate (TPhP) showed the strongest bioaccumulation ability, followed by 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDPP) and TPrP. The bioaccumulation capacities of the five species were as follows: prawn > holothurian > hairy crab > swimming crab > carp. These five types of organisms, as main seafood in human consumption, were at low risk of negative impacts of pollution. However, the risk from the mixture of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) still requires more attention due to the increasing consumption and production in the world.