Distribution and variation of organophosphate esters in the tree rings of arbor

Abstract Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are a kind of emerging pollutants. Tree trunks are long-lasting reservoirs of OPEs in the environment. Using tree rings to study the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of emerging pollutants - OPEs has a good indication of the use of OPEs in the region, and provides scientific support for the prevention and control of emerging pollutants such as OPEs. At present, the research on OPEs in tree rings is almost blank. In this study, gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to quantitatively analyze 6 kinds of OPEs in tree rings of 5 tree species from Sichuan Province, China. Its distribution characteristics and inter-annual variation were discussed and the pollution process of OPEs in this area was inferred. The results showed that Σ6OPEs concentration in tree rings ranged from 189.79 (Fir) to 341.23 ng/g (Toona sinensis), with an average of 284.77 ± 46.66 ng/g. There was no significant difference in the distribution of OPEs among the 5 kinds of trees and the dominant monomer was TBEP resulting that arbor could be seen as a good passive sampler to show the historical changes of OPEs in the regional environment. Interestingly, the absorption and accumulation of arbors to OPEs was quite different from that to inorganic elements reported by other studies. Concentrations of TEHP and TnBP in each ring sample of the 5 arbor species were stable, while concentrations of the other 4 monomers fluctuated significantly.