Ultraviolet absorbing chemicals (UV filters) are widely used in personal care products for protecting human skin and hair from damage by UV radiation. Although these substances are released into the environment during production and consumption processes, little is known about their genotoxicity effects. Our previous studies have shown that benzophenone-type UV filters exhibited acute toxicity on three species of aquatic organisms. Mutagenesis by benzophenone (BP) and benzophenone-1(BP-1) was tested in the present study by the Salmonella typhimurium/reverse mutation assay (Ames assay). All the positive reverse mutations occurred in the absence of the S9 liver extract system for both chemicals. From BP, positive mutation effects on the TA102 strain at doses of 0.05 μg/plate and 0.5 μg/plate were detected. From BP-1, positive mutation effects on the TA97 strain at doses of 0.05 μg/plate and 0.5 μg/plate, and on the TA100 strain at a dose of 0.5 μg/plate, were detected. A mixture of BP and BP-1 exhibited mutagenicity on the TA97 and TA100 strains. For the TA97 strain, the positive mutation results were detected at 10% and 50% of the mixture. For the TA100 strain, the results were detected when the mixture was at 5% and 10%. In the mixture at 5%, the concentrations of BP and BP-1 were 3.5 μg/plate and 14 μg/plate, respectively. In the 10% mixture, the doses of BP and BP-1 were 7 μg/plate and 28 μg/plate, respectively. In the 50% mixture, the doses of BP and BP-1 were 35 μg/plate and 140 μg/plate, respectively. The mixture test results suggested that there was antagonism in mutagenicity between BP and BP-1.

Ultraviolet (UV) filters are used in cosmetics, personal care products and packaging materials to provide sun protection for human skin and other substances. Little is known about these substances, but they continue to be released into the environment. The acute toxicity of 4,4’-dihydroxybenzophenone, 2,4,4’-trihydroxybenzophenone and 4-MBC to Chlorella vulgaris and Daphnia magna were analyzed in this study. The 96 h-EC50 values of 4,4’-dihydroxybenzophenone, 2,4,4’-trihydroxybenzophenone and 4-MBC on C. vulgaris were 183.60, 3.50 and 0.16874 mg/L, respectively. The 48 h-LC50 of 4,4’-dihydroxybenzophenone, 2,4,4’-trihydroxybenzophenone and 4-MBC on D. magna were 12.50, 3.74 and 0.54445 mg/L, respectively. The toxicity of a mixture of 4,4’-dihydroxybenzophenone and 4-MBC showed addictive effect on C. vulgaris, while the toxicity of mixtures of 4,4’-dihydroxybenzophenone and 2,4,4’-trihydroxybenzophenone, 2,4,4’-trihydroxybenzophenone and 4-MBC as well as 4,4’-dihydroxybenzophenone, 2,4,4’-trihydroxybenzophenone and 4-MBC all showed antagonistic effect on C. vulgaris. The induced no-effect concentrations of 4,4’-dihydroxybenzophenone, 2,4,4’-trihydroxybenzophenone and 4-MBC by the assessment factor (AF) method were 0.0125, 0.00350 and 0.000169 mg/L, respectively.