Phthalates and alkylphenols in industrial effluents - Contribution to pollution transported in Paris sewer network
Résumé
Wastewaters carry a large number of pollutants including substances called "emerging" as phthalates and alkylphenols. The risk associated with these compounds is the most widely recognized undoubtedly in their estrogenic activity, that is to say, their ability to mimic natural estrogen hormones. If the data collected in the environment has started to be substantial, especially for alkylphenols and to a lesser extent for phthalates, information about the different sources of contamination (industrial waste, domestic waste, discharges from wastewater treatment plants, etc.) is too limited to define priority actions to reduce these compounds. Among the sources of contamination, industrial discharges are often considered as a vector of urban pollution. A total of 101 samples distributed over 33 sites and classified in 11 sectors were collected. Thus discharges of industrial laundries, industries, surface treatment, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, etc. were sampled. The samples were analyzed for the following compounds: diethyl phthalate, di-n-butyl phthalate, butyl benzyl phth-alate, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, nonylphenol and 4-tert-octylphenol. Phthalates and nonylphenol were measured at high concentrations (up to 1.200 ug/L). Finally, after pollutant load estimation, it appears that there is little contribution of industrial wastewater on total flux entering the wastewater treatment plants of Paris and its conurbation (less than 3% for all compounds).