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Respirometric Evidence of the Utilization of Di‐octyl and Di‐2‐ethylhexyl Phthalate Plasticizers
Author(s) -
Mathur S. P.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1974.00472425000300030004x
Subject(s) - phthalate , phthalic acid , plasticizer , environmental chemistry , loam , chemistry , microorganism , respiration , soil respiration , dimethyl phthalate , soil water , environmental science , organic chemistry , bacteria , biology , botany , soil science , genetics
Phthalic acid esters (PAEs), due to their teratogenic and mutagenic properties, threaten to disturb the ecological balance. Di‐octyl phthalate (DOP) and di‐2‐ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) esters are present in the environment as micropollutants, originating from industrial usages in plastics. Because of the probability that PAEs also occur naturally, it was expected that soil and water microorganisms would utilize PAEs during the performance of their normal role in the cyclization of carbon in nature. Since this assumption is not sufficiently supported in the literature, a study was conducted to determine whether soil microorganisms utilize DOP and DEHP. A loam soil was incubated at 4, 10, 22 to 25 and 32C with DOP, DEHP and two other PAEs. Soil respiration rates were measured after 14 weeks, either with or without fresh additions of the PAEs. Increased rates of respiration, indicating microbial utilization of all the PAEs, were recorded. However, the results indicated that DOP and DEHP are used only marginally at 4 and 10C.