UV-stabilizing chemicals contaminating Japan’s marine environment
NASA
organisms. Levels measured in nificant concentrations of synThe tidelands of Kyushu, Japan, and tideland clams, oysters, and gasthetic musksswhich are an array of marine organisms living tropods, for example, reached commonly added as fragrances there and in the waters of the Ariake several hundred nanograms per to personal-care productssin Sea are contaminated with chemicals gram (on a lipid weight basis). marine mammals and sharks in commonly used in plastics to absorb Further up the food chain, hamJapan’s coastal waters. The new ultraviolet (UV) light. A new report in merhead sharks and coastal birds paper establishes that BUVSs, ES&T (2009, DOI 10.1021/es900939j) registered levels up to 190 ng/g. like synthetic musks, are highly is the first to document the presence The researchers also of the chemicals, called benfound strong correlations zotriazole UV stabilizers between BUVS levels and (BUVSs), in a marine organic carbon in sedienvironment. ments; this implies that BUVSs are widely used to BUVSs adsorb to organic protect industrial plasticmatter. And, despite a lack containing products (includof data on UV-326 and UVing building materials, 328, their detection in the paints, and automobile comenvironment argues that ponents) and consumer these chemicals are indeed goods (such as shoes and produced in and/or imsports equipment) from the ported into Japan, the redamaging effects of sunlight. searchers conclude. Currently, three such chemiWhether the concentracals are registered for use in tions documented in maJapan: UV-336, UV-337, and rine life are biologically UV-338. A fourth, UV-320, significant is unknown, Nawas banned by the governkata says. “Unfortunately, ment in 2007, because it we have little information showed persistent toxicity in to answer this question, belaboratory tests. Only UV-337 Marine life in the Ariake Sea (center), located on the is regulated, and more than west side of the Japanese island Kyushu, and its tidelands cause little toxicological harbor significant levels of plastic-stabilizing chemicals. data is available on the 2300 tons of it were probenzotriazole UV stabilizers duced or imported into Jaso far. But we were surpan from 2004 to 2008. fat-soluble and thus potentially prised to see the significant bioTo assess the environmental bioaccumulative. accumulation of the compounds levels of all four BUVSs and In the BUVS study, the rein high-trophic species, particugauge the extent of their bioacsearchers assayed tissues from 55 larly in coastal birds, because they cumulation in the Ariake Sea, specimens of about two dozen generally are quite capable of meHaruhiko Nakata of Kumamoto tidal-flat and shallow-water anitabolizing environmental chemiUniversity (Japan) and colmal species. These included oyscals.” leagues analyzed sediment ter, clam, crab, shrimp, flounder, Studies by Karl Fent of the samples taken from coastal and sea bass, mullet, hammerhead Swiss Federal Institute of Techriverine locations during 2004, shark, and spot-billed and malnology Zurich and others have 2006, and 2007. Encompassing lard ducks. demonstrated that another class the biggest tidal flats in Japan, Benzotriazoles were found in all of UV filters, benzophenones, the Ariake Sea is an important the biota and sediment samples. adversely affect reproduction habitat for birds, fish, and many Concentrations in the sediments and hormonal functions in fish. invertebrates, as well as a center ranged from 7.9 to 720 nanoHe says, “The concentrations for aquaculture. Many harbors grams per gram (ng/g) on a dry [found in Nakata’s study] are are located on the coast, and weight basis. Moreover, while the not extremely high, but what is pollution has increased during individual levels of the BUVSs very important is that these recent years, particularly along varied considerably among the compounds occur ubiquitously the industrialized Omuta River, various animal tissues, tidal-flat in the marine and freshwater which empties into the sea. In animals carried a burden 10-20 environments. While biomagnifiearlier research, Nakata and his times greater than shallow-water cation is not obvious, all [tested] collaborators documented sig6896 9 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / September 15, 2009
10.1021/es902293a
2009 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 08/04/2009
organisms have residues. This is another example of chemicals that are used in various processes and materials that have the environmentally critical properties of high lipophilicity and persistence. Certainly, eco-
toxicological investigations on the chronic long-term effects of these compounds are needed.” Richard H. Pierce, director of the Center for Ecotoxicology at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Fla., concurs. “This is an ad-
ditional class of chemical stressors in the aquatic environment that we will now address,” he adds. —NOREEN PARKS
September 15, 2009 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 9 6897
