Occurrence of estrogenic nonylphenols in the urban and coastal atmosphere of the lower Hudson River estuary

Nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NPEOs) have been widely used as surfactants in many industrial and household applications. However, NPEOs biodegradation in water leads to the formation of estrogenic nonylphenols (NPs). To date, NPs have only been reported in aquatic environments. In this paper, the occurrence of NPs in coastal and urban atmospheres is reported for the first time. Water-to-air volatilization of NPs from estuarine waters is a source of NPs to the estuarine atmosphere. Furthermore, the high concentrations found in the coastal atmosphere of the New York-New Jersey Bight(2.2-70 ng m(-3)) suggests that the NPs occurrence in the atmosphere may be an important human and ecosystem health issue in urban, industrial, and coastal-impacted areas receiving treated sewage effluents.