PUBLICATION

Assessment of impacts of diphenyl phosphate on groundwater and near-surface environments: Sorption and toxicity

Authors
Funk, S.P., Duffin, L., He, Y., McMullen, C., Sun, C., Utting, N., Martin, J.W., Goss, G.G., Alessi, D.S.
ID
ZDB-PUB-190116-3
Date
2019
Source
Journal of contaminant hydrology   221: 50-57 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Goss, Greg
Keywords
Aquatic toxicity, Aryl phosphate, Batch experiments, Flowback, Sorption
MeSH Terms
  • Alberta
  • Animals
  • Biphenyl Compounds
  • Chick Embryo
  • Ecosystem
  • Groundwater*
  • Hepatocytes
  • Phosphates
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical*
PubMed
30642690 Full text @ J. Contam. Hydrol.
Abstract
Wastewater recovered from hydraulic fracturing is referred to as flowback and produced water (FPW), and is often saline, contains numerous organic and inorganic constituents, and may pose threats to groundwater resources. Hundreds of spills of FPW have been reported to the Alberta Energy Regulator each year. Recently, samples of FPW derived from hydraulic fracturing of the Duvernay Formation, AB, were found to contain a previously unidentified class of aryl phosphates, including diphenyl phosphate (DPP), triphenyl phosphate (TPP), and others. Aryl phosphates are also used in a variety of other industries and their constituents can be found in flame retardants, plasticizers, lubricants, hydraulic fluids, and oxidizers. Many of these aryl phosphates break down into DPP. Therefore, it is important to determine the environmental fate and potential impact of DPP if spilled in the near-surface, as DPP is an emerging contaminant in soil and groundwater systems. This study was aimed at determining 1) the sorption behavior of DPP onto various surficial sediments collected within the Fox Creek, AB region, and 2) the toxicity of DPP toward aquatic ecosystems. We report that the sorption of DPP onto both clay-rich soils and sandy sediment was low compared to that of other aryl phosphates, with an average log KOC value of 2.30 ± 0.42 (1σ). Therefore, the transport of DPP in groundwater would be rapid due to its low degree of sorption on surficial materials. We also determined the acute 96 h-LC50 of DPP on zebrafish embryos to be 50.0 ± 7.1 mg/L. Su et al. (2014) studied the toxic effects of DPP and TPP on chicken embryonic hepatocytes and found that DPP had less cytotoxic effects than TPP but altered more gene transcripts. From the results our study, we infer that DPP may pose an environmental risk to aquatic ecosystems if released into the environment.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping