Occurrence and Concentrations of Persistent Personal Care Products, Organic UV Filters, in the Marine Environment

The benzotrialzol organic UV filters, such as UV-320 (CAS# 384671-7), UV-326 (CAS# 3896-11-5), UV-327 (CAS# 3864-99-1), and UV-328 (CAS# 25973-55-1), were detected in marine organisms collected from the Ariake Sea, western Japan. The high concentrations of UV filters were found in oysters and tidal flat species, at the concentrations of several ten ng/g (wet wt. basis). It is interesting to know that marine mammals and seabirds accumulate UV-326, 328 and UV-327, respectively. These results suggest the significant bioaccumulation of UV filters through the marine food-webs. Benzotriazole UV filters were also detected in surface sediments from the Ariake Sea, at the average concentrations of several ng/g (dry wt.). Significant correlations were found between UV filters concentrations and organic carbon contents in sediments, which implies an adsorption of these contaminants to organic carbon. In order to understand the geographical distribution of UV filters, blue and green mussels from 10 Asian countries and region were analyzed. UV filters were detected in most mussel samples, indicating the widespread use of these compounds in Asian coastal regions. The high concentrations of UV filters were found in mussels from Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan. Further investigations and global monitoring survey for organic UV filters are necessary to understand their contamination, fate and risks in the ecosystems.