Occurrence and Removal Characteristics of Phthalate Esters from Typical Water Sources in Northeast China

Phthalate acid esters, a class of chemical compounds mainly used as plasticizers for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or to a lesser extent other resins in different industrial activities, are ubiquitous in the environment and have evoked interest in the past decade due to endocrine disrupting effects and their potential impacts on public health [1-3].