Organic UV Filters in the Surface Water of Nanjing, China: Occurrence, Distribution and Ecological Risk Assessment

Abstract

Organic UV filters (OUV-Fs) are increasingly used for protection against UV irradiation. The widespread occurrence of OUV-Fs residues in aquatic systems has been reported, but little is known regarding their distribution and potential impact to the surface water in China. This study reports the occurrence, distribution and risk assessment of eight widely used OUV-Fs in the surface water of Nanjing. The results indicated butyl-methoxydibenzoylmethane, octyl-dimethyl-PABA and benzophenone-types (BP3, BP4 and BP1) were the most frequently detected compounds at concentrations of 3.63-104 ng/L. In general, the concentrations of OUV-Fs were decreased along the rivers; however, due to a substantial pollution load from the tributaries, higher concentrations of OUV-Fs were observed near the tributary inlet, compared to the other study areas. The risk assessment based on the calculated risk quotients (RQs) demonstrated that all OUV-Fs posed at least low risks to certain sensitive aquatic organisms, and BP3 posed high risk with RQ values of 1.64. It should be noted that the exclusion of adsorbed OUV-Fs might have contributed to an underestimation of the risk, therefore, it's necessary to assess both adsorbed and dissolved OUV-Fs in further studies.

Acute Toxicity and Ecological Risk Assessment of Benzophenone-3 (BP-3) and Benzophenone-4 (BP-4) in Ultraviolet (UV)-Filters

“…In this study, the PNEC value derived from the AF method was 1.8 × 10 −3 mg/L. In Nanjing, BP-3 was detected in surface water at a concentration of 3.63–164 ng/L [ 10 ]. Moreover, several UV filters, including BP-3, 2-ethyl-hexyl-4-trimethoxycinnamate, and homosalate, have been detected in lakes and rivers at concentrations of 25.00, 74.00, and 92.00 ng/L, respectively.…”

“…BPs series chemicals include 14 BP-types which are used in UV protection products [ 8 ]. Furthermore, Benzophenone (BP-1), BP-3, BP-4, 2,4,4’-Trihydroxy benzophenone (BP-8) have been frequently detected within multiple environmental matrices [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. In the present study, the results about the toxic effects of BP-3 and BP-4 to aquatic ecosystems and the consequent environmental risk assessment are discussed.…”

“…BP-3 can be absorbed through the mouth and skin of humans because of its lipophilicity, light stability, and bioaccumulation [ 9 ]. As one of the most widely used UV filters, BP-3 has been detected in surface water samples collected in Hong Kong and New York, with a maximum concentration of 5429.00 ng/L in Hong Kong [ 10 ]. A recent study of endocrine disrupting effects found that BP-3 can disrupt the agonistic behavior of male Siamese fighting fish ( Betta splendens ) [ 12 ].…”

Photochemical response of the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata to some sunscreen ingredients

“…Although it is likely that only a small percentage of reef corals, mainly those located in very shallow coastal environments subject to intense tourism and urbanization, are exposed to these products (see Wood report 2018), sunscreen contribution to coral bleaching has recently attracted attention from the media. Preservatives used in cosmetics (including sunscreens) such as parabens are continuously released at high levels (up to 30 lg L -1 and sometimes mg L -1 ) into urban and hospital wastewaters (Aziza et al 2011;Haman et al 2015), while the reported concentrations of UV filters associated with sunscreens in marine waters are in the range of 1-100 ng L -1 (Langford and Thomas 2008;Tashiro and Kameda 2013;Bargar et al 2015;Downs et al 2016;Ma et al 2016;Sang and Leung 2016;Sharifan et al 2016) with maxima reaching concentrations of up to 10 lg L -1 . In addition, lipophilic organic UV filters may accumulate in marine sediments, where concentrations of hundreds to thousands ng g -1 dry weight have been measured in some locations (Amine et al 2012;Kim and Choi 2014).…”

Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification of 2-Ethylhexyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoate in Aquatic Animals

“…2-Ethylhexyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoate is one of the more commonly used organic UV filters, and it has been detected in different water environments, sediments and aquatic organisms. EHDAB was detected in 100% of water samples in Qinhuai River, Jinchuan River, Xuanwu Lake and Yueya Lake within the vicinity of Nanjing City, China, with the concentrations ranging from 3 to 104 ng/L [ 17 ]. The maximum concentration of EHDAB reached 110 ng/L in tap water [ 18 ].…”