ABSTRACT
Many phthalates are found in trace quantities in wastewater, soil, and hazardous waste, often leaching out into the liquid stored in plastic containers or PVC bags. The acute toxicity of phthalates is very low, exhibiting symptoms of somnolence and dyspnea in test animals only at high doses. Some of these substances are listed as US EPA's priority pollutants. Phthalates are analyzed by gas chromatography (GC), liquid chromatography (LC), and GC/mass spectrometry (MS) techniques after the extraction and concentration of samples. Aqueous samples may be directly analyzed by high-performance LC. Phthalates in soils and other solid matrices may be extracted by sonication or Soxhlet extraction using methylene chloride. The extract is exchanged to hexane during concentration. Analysis of phthalates in air may be performed by sampling 1–200 L air and collecting the esters over a 0.8 µm cellulose ester membrane. The phthalates are desorbed with carbon disulfide and the eluant is injected into a GC equipped with a flame ionization detector.
