Phthalate Esters in Raw and Finished Water from Drinking Water Treatment Plants and Human Exposure in Songkhla, Southern Thailand

The presence of phthalate esters (PEs) in water treatment facilities has drawn a lot of interest because of the possible health risks. This research provide data on 6 PEs in the raw and finished water of three waterworks located in Songkhla Province, southern Thailand. Given that drinking water is a major way that people can be exposed to PEs, the fate of target PEs in the three conventional drinking water treatment plants was also analyzed. The results revealed that the amounts of Σ3PE in the Hat Yai (HY), Sadao (SA), and Phang La (PL) in raw water samples were relatively moderate, with mean values of 8.16, 5.54, and 5.27 µg/L, respectively. Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) dominated the PEs concentration ranging from 1.69 to 4.84 µg/L, with mean values ranging from 1.93 to 3.71µg/L. These chemicals' distribution and occurrence were highly geographically dependent. In the meantime, the levels of PEs in the final water samples showed that PE removal was not very effective after the conventional drinking water treatment in the waterworks (51.12% to 67.5%). According to the possible ecosystem risk assessment, the raw water samples had a comparatively low risk of PEs. However, there are still dangers associated with drinking tap water contaminated by PEs; as a result, source control should receive extra attention in the source water used by the investigated provincial waterworks, and advanced treatment processes for drinking water supplies should be implemented.