Alkylphenols in the core sediment of a waste dumpsite in the East Sea (Sea of Japan), Korea

摘要

Alkylphenols (APs) are degradation products of alkylphenol eth-oxylates (APEOs) which have been used as detergents, wetting agents, dispersing agents and emulsifiers in various commercial, industrial and household surfactants (Giger et al., 1984; Renner, 1997). APEOs enter the natural environment mainly via direct urban or industrial inputs and sewage treatment plant (STP) effluents (Ahel et al., 1994; Ying et al., 2002; Li et al., 2008). Once AP and its ethoxylates have entered the aquatic environment, they are degraded by photo-oxidation and/or microbial activity in the water column and adsorb onto suspended particles, settle down and accumulate in the sediment and aquatic organisms according to their physico-chemical properties (Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME), 2001; Ying et al., 2002; Correa-Reyes et al., 2007; Ferrara et al., 2008; Soares et al., 2008). The breakdown product, nonylphenol (NP), has more severe aquatic toxicity than its original surfactant and is a more persistent and lipophilic chemical (Servos, 1999).