BP-8

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have emerged as significant environmental pollutants. Benzophenones (BPs), a group of EDCs, are widely used and suspected of interfering with human health from early development to later life stages. This study assessed urinary concentrations of selected BPs, including 2,4-dihydroxy benzophenone (BP-1), 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy benzophenone (BP-3), 4-hydroxy benzophenone (4-OH-BP), and 2,2'-dihydroxy-4-methoxy benzophenone (BP-8), in 166 pregnant women from the PERSIAN cohort in Isfahan, Iran, during the first trimester. The study also examined the associations between maternal BP levels and socioeconomic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. BP-1 and BP-3 were detected in all samples, followed by 4-OH-BP (98 %) and BP-8 (95 %). Among the BP metabolites, the highest level belonged to BP-3 with a median concentration of 7.50 μg/g Creatinine (Cr) and the lowest was assigned to BP-8 amounting to 1.32 μg/g Cr. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that food consumption behaviour and storage methods, physical activity, and education level were significantly correlated with urinary 4-OH-BP concentrations (p ≤ 0.5). BP-3 levels were positively associated with personal care product (PCP) use, food consumption habits, physical activity, and income. BP-1 was linked to food consumption habits and PCP usage, while BP-8 was associated with household cleaning product (HCP) use and income level. These findings suggest that demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle and environmental factors influence maternal BP exposure in early pregnancy, potentially affecting foetal development. Further research is needed to confirm these effects. Regulatory measures should be considered to minimize BP exposure, particularly among pregnant women.

The widespread presence of organic UV filters (OUVFs) in coral reef ecosystems has attracted increasing attention. This study analyzed the concentrations and compositions of OUVFs in corals, macroalgae, and sediments in the Luhuitou fringing reef ecosystem in Sanya, China. The detected OUVFs included benzophenones-1, -2, -3, and -8 (BP-1, BP-2, BP-3, and BP-8), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HB), octocrylene (OC), 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC), and octyl dimethyl-p-aminobenzoic acid (ODPABA). The total concentrations (∑8OUVFs) in coral tissues and macroalgae were found to be 4.3-52.0 and 8.0-29.0 ng/g dry weight (dw), respectively. The bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) for BPs (including BP-1, BP-3, and BP-8) and OC in coral tissues were higher than those in macroalgae, while the BAFs for 4-MBC and ODPABA were relatively lower. Preliminary risk assessment results indicated that, in the worst-case scenario, more than 65 and 84% of coral samples had BP-3 concentrations exceeding the thresholds for causing coral larval bleaching and mortality, respectively. At the same time, 99% of the macroalgae samples showed ODPABA concentrations exceeding the thresholds related to their growth inhibition. Therefore, BP-3 and ODPABA posed significant ecological risks to corals and macroalgae, subsequently threatening the health and stability of the coral reef ecosystem.