Widening the Lens on UV Filters: Newfound Ubiquity of Triazine UV Filters in Breast Milk from South China and Implications for Augmented “Cocktail” Exposure in Infants

Abstract

Our previous work demonstrated triazine UV filters (TA-UVFs) as an emerging class of abundant, ubiquitous pollutants in the indoor environment; however, information about human exposure to these novel chemicals remains unknown. In this study, 17 TA-UVFs as well as 9 benzotriazole (BTR)-UVFs and 6 benzophenone (BP)-UVFs were included in a comprehensive, dedicated screening in breast milk from South China. In addition to some previously unrecognized BTR- and BP-UVFs, 11 of the 17 TA-UVFs were detected for the first time in breast milk, with ethylhexyl triazone (EHT) and bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine (BEMT) as the predominant, omnipresent pollutants in humans. The median total concentration of TA-UVFs reached 1350 pg/mL, which is nearly half that of BTR-UVFs (3080 pg/mL) or BP-UVFs (3220 pg/mL). More daily use of personal care products (≥5 types) significantly elevated breast milk levels for all three classes of UVFs (p < 0.05) in the studied population. The overall daily intake of UVFs for infants via breast-feeding will substantially increase by 28% under the median exposure scenario if TA-UVFs are included in an integrative assessment. The current breast milk levels of TA-UVFs indicate a demand for additional monitoring and actions to reduce maternal and infant exposure to these emerging contaminants.

Human metabolism and excretion kinetics of benzotriazole UV stabilizer UV-327 after single oral administration

“…Due to the distinctive hydrophobicity, storage in adipose tissue as well as in other tissues and organs is conceivable, which would also lead to a prolonged elimination half-life. Consistent with this conclusion, UV-327 has already been detected in adipose tissue (Yanagimoto et al 2011) as well as breast milk (Kim et al 2019;Lee et al 2015;Sun et al 2022).…”

“…Dust inhalation represents another potential route of exposure as the compound has been detected in house dust (Carpinteiro et al 2010;Kim et al 2012). UV-327 was additionally found in breast-milk samples, which indicates both maternal exposure and possible infant exposure as well (Kim et al 2019;Lee et al 2015;Sun et al 2022).…”

Triazine-Derived Ultraviolet Filters and Flame Retardants: A Nationwide Co-Occurrence and Prevalence Study in China

“…The results are in agreement with our previous reports of EHT and BEMT as the predominant TA-UVFs found in indoor dust and human milk from South China. 10,11 The widespread usage of EHT and BEMT as important ingredients added in sunscreens and personal care products with contents generally exceeding 3% 35,36 is likely responsible for their high levels in municipal sludge. Ranked next to EHT and BEMT, four TA-UVFs, namely, DBT, DTHP, BDHOT, and BDTHTP, were detected in 52−82% of the samples, with median values of 0.580−2.06 ng/g, which were 1−2 orders of magnitude lower than those of EHT and BEMT.…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, all 17 TA-UVFs, with the exception of EHT, 32 were detected for the first time in the sludge, among which 4 TA-UVFs (TBPZ, 22BPDT, 23BPDT, and TBPHT) were newly identified in the environment based on the recently reported screening of TA-UVFs by our group. 10,11 The median concentrations of the 17 TA-UVFs (∑ 17 TA-UVFs) and the 6 TA-FRs (∑ 6 TA-FRs) were 159 and 799 ng/g, respectively. Notably, the level of ∑ 17 TA-UVFs was approximately 4 times lower than that of ∑ 6 TA-FRs in the sludge samples, indicating more severe pollution by TA-FRs than by TA-UVFs in China.…”

“…Although most TA-UVFs have been used for decades, they have not entered the radar of environmental research until recently. Based on our two previous studies , which reported initial evidence for the pervasive occurrence of TA-UVFs in regional environments and exposed populations, we hypothesized that TA-UVFs may be present as pervasive pollutants on a large geographical scale in China and worldwide. This information is important for understanding environmental and human exposure to TA-UVFs.…”