Distribution of Phthalic Acid Esters (PAEs) in Personal Care Products and Untreated Municipal Wastewater Samples: Implications for Source Apportionment and Ecological Risk Assessment

This study reported the distribution patterns of ten typical phthalic acid esters (PAEs) in personal care products (PCPs) available in Vietnam, with a focus in source apportionment and ecological risk assessment. Total of PAE concentrations in PCPs was 352–83500 µg/g (mean/median: 10900/6050), with di-(2-ethyl)hexyl phthalate (DEHP) being the dominant compound (115–36300 µg/g; mean/median: 6110/3780), diethyl phthalate (mean/median: 2000/n.d.; range: n.d.–75300 µg/g), and diisobutyl phthalate (mean/median: 1040/130; range: n.d.–13800 µg/g) were also present in significant concentrations. Total PAE concentrations in untreated municipal wastewater samples from Hanoi were significantly higher than those from Thaibinh, with a mean concentration approximately 3.7 times greater. DEHP was also found to have the highest frequency and levels in wastewater, with mean/median concentrations of 3260/2830 and 598/557 µg/L in samples collected from Hanoi and Thaibinh, respectively. Seasonal variation was observed, with higher concentrations in the dry season. The ecological risk due to the distribution of individual PAEs in wastewater was moderate, except for DEHP, with risk quotients ranging from 5.98 to 24.8 for algae. These findings underscore the need for regulatory interventions to mitigate PAE contamination in urban environments. Highlights High levels of PAEs were found in PCPs available in Vietnam. DEHP was measured at the highest levels in both PCPs and untreated municipal wastewater. Strong correlations existed between the distribution of PAEs in PCPs and wastewater. The risk quotient (RQ) for DEHP was high for algae and crustaceans.