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Organophosphate ester flame retardants (OPFRs) are ubiquitous organic pollutants in the environment and present an important preoccupation due to their potential toxicity to humans and biota. They can be found in various sources, including consumer products, building materials, transportation industry, electronic devices, textiles and clothing, and recycling and waste management. This paper presents the first survey of its kind in Romania, investigating the composition, distribution, possible sources, and environmental risks of OPFRs in five wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and the rivers receiving their effluents. Samples from WWTPs and surface waters were collected and subjected to extraction processes to determine the OPFRs using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection. All the target OPFRs were found in all the matrices, with the average concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 1422 ng/L in wastewater, 0.88 to 1851 ng/g dry weight (d.w.) in sewage sludge, and 0.73 to 1036 ng/L in surface waters. The dominant compound in all the cases was tri(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP). This study observed that the wastewater treatment process was inefficient, with removal efficiencies below 50% for all five WWTPs. The environmental risk assessment indicated that almost all the targeted OPFRs pose a low risk, while TDCPP, TCPP, and TMPP could pose a moderate risk to certain aquatic species. These findings provide valuable information for international pollution research and enable the development of pollution control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research comprehensively assesses phosphorus-based flame retardants (OPFRs) in seawater, sediment, and algae from the Romanian Black Sea coastline, evaluating their concentrations, distribution patterns, and potential environmental risks. OPFR concentrations ranged from 479 to 2229 ng/L in abiotic samples and 44 to 1953 ng/g dry weight in sediments, while algae samples showed concentrations between 273 and 10,301 ng/g dry weight. The most common OPFRs identified were tri-propyl phosphate (TPP), tri(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), and tri(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCPP) in abiotic samples, with TCEP, diphenyl phosphate (DPHP), TPP, and TCPP dominating in algae. Notably, TPP reached concentrations of 1417 ng/L and 10,062 ng/g dry weight in algae. The environmental risk assessment indicated that these contaminants pose risks ranging from low to medium, highlighting a moderate concern for aquatic organisms. The findings underscore the need for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of OPFR levels in marine environments to inform management strategies and mitigate potential ecological impacts on the Black Sea ecosystem. [Display omitted] • Eleven OPFRs detected in Romanian Black Sea • TCPP, TCEP, and TPP dominant, with highest levels in algae • Similar concentrations in seawater and sediments; no global average for algae • Individual OPFRs pose low to medium risk; mixture risk needs study. • Understanding degradation & monitoring crucial for environmental implications [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is aimed at assessing the occurrence, fate, transport and ecological risk of ten organic UV filters in the aquatic environment of Romania. In influents, the highest concentration levels were determined for benzophenone-1 and 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzophenone with values of thousands of ng L−1 (up to 2787 and 1108 ng L−1, respectively). In the sewage sludge samples, the predominant contaminants were those with high hydrophobicity, namely benzyl salicylate, homosalate and ethylhexyl salicylate (up to 1395, 1035 and 688 ng g−1 dw, respectively). Although the removal efficiency of these organic micropollutants in the WWTPs proved to be quite high, over 60% of the UV filters monitored, some of them were also detected in effluents, in relatively high concentrations. Thus, the effluents were dominated by ethylhexyl salicylate and benzophenone-1 with concentrations up to 219 and 181 ng L−1, respectively. In surface waters, the most abundant compounds were found to be benzophenone-1, benzophenone-8 and 4-hydroxybenzophenone, with values up to 206, 108 and 159 ng L−1 respectively. On calculating the risk coefficient of the organic UV filters investigated on various aquatic species, it was observed that for fish, benzophenone-2 presents a medium risk both in effluents and in samples taken downstream of the WWTPs, while benzophenone-1 presents a high risk also in effluents as well as in surface waters taken upstream and downstream of the WWTPs. Among the salicylate derivatives, homosalate was found to present a medium risk for Daphnia magna in both effluents and samples taken downstream of the WWTPs, while ethylhexyl salicylate posed a high risk for freshwater algae in all three types of analyzed samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Organic UV-Filters and Bisphenol derivatives are emerging contaminants in coastal areas of the Romanian Black Sea. • Both endocrine disruptor classes were found in all three analyzed matrices. • The distribution patterns of UVFs and BPs in seawater, sediment and algae were investigated. • Aquatic environmental exposure to UVFs and BPs and their health risks were assessed. In recent years, the occurrence of organic UV-filters (UVFs) and bisphenol derivatives (BPs) in the marine environment has raised high concerns all over the world, due to the potentially adverse impacts on marine organism and, indirectly on human health. This paper reports, for the first time in Romania, the occurrence, distribution pattern and environmental risk assessment of UVFs, BPs and their metabolites in seawater, sediment and algae collected from the Romania Black Sea coastal region. BP-3 (2-hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzophenone) was the most abundant contaminant in seawater samples, with detection frequency of 100 %. Sediment samples were dominated by ES (Ethylhexyl salicylate), with concentration values up to 5823 ng/g d.w., while for algae, concentrations of several hundreds of ng/g d.w. were determined for BP-3, BS (Benzyl salicylate) and BPE (Bisphenol E). Environmental risk assessment revealed that some UVFs and BPs detected in seawater samples were hazardous to the marine organism of the Black Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]