Determination of Alkylphenols in Atmospheric Fine Particulates in Taiyuan and Guangzhou based on atmospheric pressure gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

The interest in the contaminants in PM_2.5¹ (PMs with a diameter of <2.5 μm) has increased because of its potential adverse effects on human health. In this study, seven alkylphenols (APs), which are a typical endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), were measured by atmospheric pressure gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (APGC-MS/MS). The methods were successfully applied to analyze the PM_2.5 samples collected from Taiyuan and Guangzhou. The total concentration of seven APs was 700.58 pg m⁻³ in Guangzhou and 916.12 pg m⁻³ in Taiyuan. The dominant PM_2.5-bound APs were 4-pentylphenol (4-PeP), 4-nonylphenol (4-NP), and 2-6-di-tert-butyl-4-(hydroxymethyl)phenol (BHT-OH). Meanwhile, a higher concentration of APs was observed in Taiyuan during spring and winter, according with obvious seasonal variation. The presence of APs in air samples from Guangzhou was primarily attributed to human activities. Furthermore, estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of APs via ambient inhalation were calculated for different age groups to evaluate human exposure risk, which revealed that the worst-case EDI for children was 61.29 pg kg_bw⁻¹ day⁻¹, indicating that the presence of APs in the atmospheric environment should not be underestimated.