The in situ passive sampling technique, diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT), confronts many of the challenges associated with current sampling methods used for emerging contaminants (ECs) in aquatic systems. This study compared DGT and grab sampling for their suitability to screen and monitor ECs at the catchment scale in the River Thames system (U.K.) and explored their sources and environmental fate. The ubiquitous presence of endocrine disrupting chemicals, parabens, and their metabolites is of concern. This study is the first to report organophosphate esters (OPEs) in the study area. TEP (summer 13–160 and winter 18–46, ng/L) and TCPP (summer 242–4282 and winter 215–854, ng/L) were the main OPEs. For chemicals which were relatively stable in the rivers, DGT and grab sampling were in good agreement. For chemicals which showed high variation in water bodies, DGT provided a better integral of loadings and exposure than grab sampling. DGT was not as sensitive as grab sampling under the procedures employed here, but there are several options to improve it to give comparable/better performance. DGT samples require shorter preparation time for analysis in the laboratory than grab samples. Overall, DGT can be a powerful tool to characterize ECs throughout a large dynamic water system.

中文翻译：

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使用扩散梯度的薄膜（DGT）和传统的抓斗采样技术对新兴污染物进行现场集水规模采样：以英国泰晤士河为例。

现场无源采样技术，即薄膜中的扩散梯度（DGT），面临着与目前用于水生系统中新兴污染物（EC）的采样方法相关的许多挑战。这项研究比较了DGT和抓取采样的适用性，以在泰晤士河系统（英国）中对流域规模的EC进行筛查和监控，并探讨了其来源和环境命运。内分泌干​​扰化学品，对羟基苯甲酸酯及其代谢产物的普遍存在令人关注。这项研究是第一个报告该研究领域中的有机磷酸酯（OPE）的研究。主要的OPE是TEP（夏季13–160和冬季18–46，ng / L）和TCPP（夏季242–4282和冬季215–854，ng / L）。对于河流中相对稳定的化学药品，DGT和抓斗采样非常吻合。对于水体变化很大的化学药品，DGT提供了比抓样更好的负载和暴露积分。在这里采用的程序中，DGT并不像抓样那样敏感，但是有几种选择可以改进它以提供可比/更好的性能。与抓样相比，DGT样品在实验室中进行分析所需的准备时间短。总体而言，DGT可以成为表征大型动态水系统中EC的强大工具。