PHTHALATE-ESTERS IN THE SWEDISH ATMOSPHERE

Levels of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were measured in airborne fallout and in air at 14 localities in Sweden to determine whether their distribution is governed by local or long-range transport processes. The phthalate esters in the airborne fallout, derived from dry and wet deposition, were trapped on silicone-impregnated nets, whereas phthalate esters in the air were collected on polyurethane foam filters. The ubiquity of DBP and DEHP in the airborne fallout and in the air indicates that they are widely distributed in the Swedish atmosphere. The fallout rates and atmospheric concentrations of DBP and DEHP were of similar magnitude, despite the fact that the consumption of DEHP is 10 times that of DBP in Sweden. A detailed study of the emissions from a phthalate ester consuming factory revealed a local fallout gradient. The total deposition of DBP and DEHP to the ground in Sweden was estimated to be 220 tons-year−1 and is of a similar order of magnitude as the emissions. The fallout rates and the levels of phthalate esters in the air were temperature-dependent. In winter when the temperature was low, the atmospheric fallout of phthalate esters was high while their levels in the air were low. High atmospheric concentrations were found in the summer. © 1990, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.