Comparative toxicities of four benzophenone ultraviolet filters to two life stages of two coral species.

The benzophenone (BP) organic ultraviolet (UV) filters have been measured in seawater at ng/L to µg/L levels, but more data on their effects in non-target marine organisms are needed. Corals can be exposed to BPs due to wastewater discharges and coastal recreational activities. In this study, toxicities and bioaccumulation of BP-1 (2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone), BP-3 (oxybenzone), BP-4 (sulisobenzone) and BP-8 (dioxybenzone) to larvae and adults of two coral species, Pocillopora damicornis and Seriatopora caliendrum, were assessed at concentrations ranging from 0.1-1000 µg/L. BP-1 and BP-8 exposure caused significant settlement failure, bleaching and mortality of S. caliendrum larvae [lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC): ≥10 µg/L] compared to the other BPs, while none of the tested compounds and concentrations affected P. damicornis larvae. Nubbins were more sensitive to BP-3, BP-1 and BP-8 than larvae. Overall, BP-1 and BP-8 were more toxic to the two tested species than BP-3 and BP-4, which matches the relative bioaccumulation potential of the four BPs (BP-8 > BP-1 ≈ BP-3 > BP-4). A conservative risk assessment using the effect concentrations derived from this study showed that BP-3, BP-1 and BP-8 pose high or medium risk to the health of corals in popular recreational areas of Taiwan and Hong Kong. Our study suggests that future ecotoxicological studies of corals should take their sensitivities, life stages and metabolic capacities into consideration.

Toxicological effects of two organic ultraviolet filters and a related commercial sunscreen product in adult corals.

Corals are exposed to organic ultraviolet (UV) filters and other personal care product (PCP) ingredients in the environment, but the toxicities of organic UV filters and their related PCP to corals are not well understood. In this study, 7-day exposures were conducted to evaluate the toxicities and bioaccumulation of two organic UV filters, ethylhexylmethoxy-cinnamate (EHMC; octinoxate) and octocrylene (OC) (single- and combined-chemical tests), and diluted sunscreen wash-off water containing both active ingredients to the adult life stage of two hard coral species, Seriatopora caliendrum and Pocillopora damicornis. In the single-chemical tests, death (33.3%) and bleaching (83.3%) were only observed in the 1000 µg/L EHMC treatment of S. caliendrum. In the sunscreen product exposures, 5% sunscreen water (containing 422.34 ±â€¯37.34 µg/L of EHMC and 33.50 ±â€¯7.60 µg/L of OC at Day 0) caused high mortality in S. caliendrum (66.7-83.3%) and P. damicornis (33.3-50%), and tissue concentrations were up to 10 times greater than in the single-chemical exposures; co-exposure to EHMC and OC at similar levels to those in the sunscreen product resulted in bioaccumulation similar to the single-chemical tests. These results confirm the bioaccumulation potential of EHMC and OC and show that other ingredients in sunscreen products may increase the bioavailability of active ingredients to corals and exacerbate the toxicity of sunscreen products. Future studies on the toxicities of PCPs to aquatic organisms should not only focus on the toxicities of active ingredients.

Pharmaceuticals in tap water: human health risk assessment and proposed monitoring framework in China.

BACKGROUND: Pharmaceuticals are known to contaminate tap water worldwide, but the relevant human health risks have not been assessed in China. OBJECTIVES: We monitored 32 pharmaceuticals in Chinese tap water and evaluated the life-long human health risks of exposure in order to provide information for future prioritization and risk management. METHODS: We analyzed samples (n = 113) from 13 cities and compared detected concentrations with existing or newly-derived safety levels for assessing risk quotients (RQs) at different life stages, excluding the prenatal stage. RESULTS: We detected 17 pharmaceuticals in 89% of samples, with most detectable concentrations (92%) at < 50 ng/L. Caffeine (median-maximum, nanograms per liter: 24.4-564), metronidazole (1.8-19.3), salicylic acid (16.6-41.2), clofibric acid (1.2-3.3), carbamazepine (1.3-6.7), and dimetridazole (6.9-14.7) were found in ≥ 20% of samples. Cities within the Yangtze River region and Guangzhou were regarded as contamination hot spots because of elevated levels and frequent positive detections. Of the 17 pharmaceuticals detected, 13 showed very low risk levels, but 4 (i.e., dimetridazole, thiamphenicol, sulfamethazine, and clarithromycin) were found to have at least one life-stage RQ ≥ 0.01, especially for the infant and child life stages, and should be considered of high priority for management. We propose an indicator-based monitoring framework for providing information for source identification, water treatment effectiveness, and water safety management in China. CONCLUSION: Chinese tap water is an additional route of human exposure to pharmaceuticals, particularly for dimetridazole, although the risk to human health is low based on current toxicity data. Pharmaceutical detection and application of the proposed monitoring framework can be used for water source protection and risk management in China and elsewhere.