Phthalates, an environmental problem: A systematic review of their impact on marine organisms

Phthalate esters (PAEs) are extensively used plasticizers in industry and have emerged as emerging contaminants in the oceans, posing the potential to cause endocrine disruption in various organisms. From a conservation perspective, monitoring and comprehending their presence and potential impacts on animal functioning is crucial. This systematic review delineates the occurrence of these compounds across various marine animal phyla. Using PRISMA criteria, a search of English articles was carried out on the CAPES Journals Portal database from 2013 to 2024, employing the descriptors "Phthalate" and "Marine". A total of 854 results were obtained, and after applying the selection criteria, 59 manuscripts were included in the analysis, categorized into the following phyla: Chordates (n = 47), Arthropods (n = 8), Mollusks (n = 14), Echinoderms (n = 2), Cnidarians (n = 6), and Poriferans (n = 1). The phylum records reflect the occurrence of animals, not the number of articles. The findings underscore di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) as the most prevalent PAE (n = 55), followed by dibutyl phthalate (DBP) (n = 47), diethyl phthalate (DEP) (n = 43), and dimethyl phthalate (DMP) (n = 38). Additionally, it was found that most studies are concentrated within the chordate phylum and in the northern hemisphere, i.e., the European region. This review emphasizes the need for advances in monitoring the occurrence of PAEs in marine biota, and the importance of including associated metabolome studies in this contamination, aiming to understand the metabolic impact and disturbances that occur in different organisms exposed to those xenobiotics.