Organophosphate esters (OPEs) in a coral reef food web of the Xisha Islands, South China Sea: Occurrence, trophodynamic, and exposure risk

Despite organophosphate esters (OPEs) are widely prevalent in the environment, however, limited information is available regarding their occurrence, trophodynamics, and exposure risks in coral reef ecosystems. In this study, 11 OPEs were investigated in a tropical marine food web (7 fish species and 9 benthos species) from the Xisha (XS) Islands, South China Sea (SCS). The n-ary sumation 11OPEs were 1.52 +/- 0.33 ng/L, 2227 +/- 2062 ng/g lipid weight (lw), 1024 +/- 606 ng/g lw, and 1800 +/- 1344 ng/g lw in seawater, fish, molluscs, and corals, respectively. Tris (2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPPs) were the dominant OPEs in seawater, fish, and molluscs, while tris (2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) predominated in coral tissues. Abiotic and biotic factors jointly affect the OPEs enrichment in marine organisms. Trophic magnification factors (TMFs) (range: 1.31-39.2) indicated the bio-magnification potency of OPEs. A dietary exposure risk assessment indicated that OPEs at current levels in coral reef fish posed a low risk to human health but were not negligible. Overall, this study contributes to a further understanding of the environmental behaviors of OPEs in coral reef ecosystems.

Automated summary

Despite a wide prevalence of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in the environment, there is limited information available about their occurrence, trophodynamics, and exposure risks in coral reef ecosystems. This study investigated 11 OPEs in a tropical marine food web from the South China Sea and found varying concentrations in seawater, fish, molluscs, and corals. The study also revealed the potential for bioaccumulation of OPEs and assessed the health risk to humans from OPEs in coral reef fish.