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Sediments as a sink for UV filters and benzotriazoles: the case study of Upper Iguaçu watershed, Curitiba (Brazil)

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Abstract

Ingredients in home and personal care products, including UV filters and benzotriazoles, are high production volume chemicals extensively used in our daily life, despite several studies revealed their potential eco-toxicity and endocrine-disrupting capacity. Due to some features, such as high lipophilicity, low degradability, and persistence of many of these compounds, sediments can be considered a sink for them in the aquatic environment. In the present study, nine organic UV filters and three benzotriazoles were investigated for the first time in sediments from four urban rivers in Brazil. The contaminants were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The results revealed that octocrylene (OC), etylhexyl-methoxycinnamate (EHMC), benzophenone-3 (oxybenzone, BP3), and benzotriazole (BZT) were the predominant compounds adsorbed on the sediments, with concentrations ranging from 5.6 to 322.2 ng g−1 dry weight. The results reported in this work constitute the first data on the accumulation of polar benzotriazoles and lipophilic organic UV filters in sediments from Brazil.

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Acknowledgements

A. Mizukawa acknowledges CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, for the scholarship (Process N. 0137-14-6). MSDC thanks the Generalitat de Catalunya (Consolidated Research Group “2014 SGR 418 - Water and Soil Quality Unit”) for partially funding this research. J. Valle-Sistac is acknowledged for her assistance during the analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, Federal University of Parana, Av. Coronel Francisco Heráclito dos Santos, 210, Curitiba, PR, 81531-980, Brazil

    Alinne Mizukawa, Júlio César Rodrigues de Azevedo & Cristóvão Vicente Scapulatempo Fernandes

  2. Capes Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasilia, DF, 70040-020, Brazil

    Alinne Mizukawa & Júlio César Rodrigues de Azevedo

  3. Department of Environmental Chemistry, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain

    Alinne Mizukawa, Daniel Molins-Delgado, Silvia Díaz-Cruz & Damià Barceló

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  1. Alinne Mizukawa
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  2. Daniel Molins-Delgado
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  3. Júlio César Rodrigues de Azevedo
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  4. Cristóvão Vicente Scapulatempo Fernandes
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  5. Silvia Díaz-Cruz
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  6. Damià Barceló
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Correspondence to Alinne Mizukawa.

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Responsible editor: Ester Heath

Highlights

• First determination of UV filters and benzotriazoles in sediments from Brazil.

• Both hydrophobic and polar compounds are accumulated in the sediments.

• High concentrations of benzotriazole were retained in the urban rivers’ sediments.

• Urban wastewater is the main source of the contamination observed in the sediments.

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Mizukawa, A., Molins-Delgado, D., de Azevedo, J.C.R. et al. Sediments as a sink for UV filters and benzotriazoles: the case study of Upper Iguaçu watershed, Curitiba (Brazil). Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 18284–18294 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9472-9

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