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Unpacking Phthalates from Obscurity in the Environment
Summary
This review traces how advances in analytical chemistry have brought phthalates, a group of plastic additives, from relative obscurity to recognition as widespread environmental contaminants. Phthalates leach easily from plastic products because they are not chemically bound to the polymer, and they are now categorized as endocrine-disrupting chemicals with potential links to organ damage. The study discusses the evolving methods for detecting phthalates in complex environmental and biological samples.
Phthalates (PAEs) are a group of synthetic esters of phthalic acid compounds mostly used as plasticizers in plastic materials but are widely applied in most industries and products. As plasticizers in plastic materials, they are not chemically bound to the polymeric matrix and easily leach out. Logically, PAEs should be prevalent in the environment, but their prevalence, transport, fate, and effects have been largely unknown until recently. This has been attributed, inter alia, to a lack of standardized analytical procedures for identifying them in complex matrices. Nevertheless, current advancements in analytical techniques facilitate the understanding of PAEs in the environment. It is now known that they can potentially impact ecological and human health adversely, leading to their categorization as endocrine-disrupting chemicals, carcinogenic, and liver- and kidney-failure-causing agents, which has landed them among contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Thus, this review article reports and discusses the developments and advancements in PAEs' standard analytical methods, facilitating their emergence from obscurity. It further explores the opportunities, challenges, and limits of their advancements.
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