Background

Globally, 2-Ethylhexyl-4-methoxycinnamate (EHMC) is one of the most commonly used UV filters in sunscreen and personal care products. Due to its widespread usage, the occurrence of EHMC in the aquatic environment has frequently been documented. In the EU, EHMC is listed under the European Community Rolling Action Plan (CoRAP) as suspected to be persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) and as a potential endocrine disruptor. It was included in the first watch list under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) referring to a sediment PNEC of 200 µg/kg dry weight (dw). In the light of the ongoing substance evaluation to refine the environmental risk assessment, the objective of this study was to obtain spatio-temporal trends for EHMC in freshwater.

We analyzed samples of suspended particulate matter (SPM) retrieved from the German environmental specimen bank (ESB). The samples covered 13 sampling sites from major German rivers, including Rhine, Elbe, and Danube, and have been collected since mid-2000s.

Results

Our results show decreasing concentrations of EHMC in annual SPM samples during the studied period. In the mid-2000s, the levels for EHMC ranged between 3.3 and 72 ng/g dw. The highest burden could be found in the Rhine tributary Saar. In 2017, we observed a maximum concentration ten times lower (7.9 ng/g dw in samples from the Saar). In 62% of all samples taken in 2017, concentrations were even below the limit of quantification (LOQ) of 2.7 ng/g dw.

Conclusions

The results indicate a general declining discharge of EHMC into German rivers within the last 15 years and correspond to the market data. Although the measured levels are below the predicted no-effect level (PNEC) in sediment, further research should identify local and seasonal level of exposure, e.g., at highly frequented bathing waters especially in lakes. In addition, possible substitutes as well as their potentially synergistic effects together with other UV filters should be investigated.

中文翻译：

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在法规的影响下：德国河流中紫外线过滤器2-乙基己基-4-甲氧基肉桂酸酯（EHMC）的时空趋势

背景

在全球范围内，2-乙基己基-4-甲氧基肉桂酸酯（EHMC）是防晒霜和个人护理产品中最常用的UV过滤剂之一。由于其广泛的使用，EHMC在水生环境中的发生经常被记录在案。在欧盟，EHMC被列为欧洲共同体滚动行动计划（CoRAP）之一，被怀疑具有持久性，生物蓄积性和毒性（PBT），并且是潜在的内分泌干扰物。它被列入《水框架指令》（WFD）的第一个观察名单中，其中指的是沉积物PNEC为200 µg / kg干重（dw）。根据正在进行的物质评估以完善环境风险评估，本研究的目的是获得淡水中EHMC的时空趋势。

我们分析了从德国环境标本库（ESB）中回收的悬浮颗粒物（SPM）的样品。这些样本覆盖了德国主要河流的13个采样点，其中包括莱茵河，易北河和多瑙河，并且从2000年代中期开始收集。

结果

我们的结果表明，在研究期间，年度SPM样品中EHMC的浓度不断降低。在2000年代中期，EHMC的水平介于3.3至72 ng / g dw之间。负担最大的地区是莱茵河的萨尔州。在2017年，我们观察到最大浓度降低了十倍（萨尔州的样品中为7.9 ng / g dw）。2017年采集的所有样品中有62％的浓度甚至低于2.7 ng / g dw的定量限（LOQ）。

结论

结果表明，在过去的15年中，EHMC向德国河流的排放总体呈下降趋势，与市场数据相对应。尽管测得的水平低于沉积物中的预测无效应水平（PNEC），但进一步的研究应确定局部和季节性暴露水平，例如在频繁沐浴的水中，尤其是在湖泊中。另外，应研究可能的替代品以及它们与其他紫外线过滤剂的潜在协同作用。