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National scale down‐the‐drain environmental risk assessment of oxybenzone in the United States
Author(s) -
Burns Emily E.,
Csiszar Susan A.,
Roush Kyle S.,
Davies Iain A.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
integrated environmental assessment and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1551-3793
pISSN - 1551-3777
DOI - 10.1002/ieam.4430
Subject(s) - environmental science , effluent , hazard analysis , uv filter , environmental chemistry , exposure assessment , organic chemicals , risk assessment , environmental monitoring , hazard , environmental engineering , environmental health , chemistry , engineering , medicine , computer science , physics , computer security , optics , aerospace engineering , organic chemistry
Organic ultraviolet (UV) filters are used in cosmetic and personal care products (CPCPs) and over‐the‐counter (OTC) sunscreens, due to their ability to absorb solar radiation. When OTC and CPCP ingredients are washed down the drain, they can then enter freshwaters that receive wastewater treatment plant effluents. This paper presents a freshwater environmental safety assessment of a key UV filter, oxybenzone, used in OTC sunscreens and CPCPs in the United States. Exposure was characterized using iSTREEM ® , a spatially resolved aquatic exposure model developed for chemicals disposed of down the drain. iSTREEM ® provides a comprehensive exposure assessment of oxybenzone concentrations in United States receiving waters through predicted environmental concentration (PEC) distributions representative of conditions across the region. A review of available hazard data was used to derive a predicted no‐effect concentration (PNEC) using aquatic toxicity data and assessment factors. A safety assessment was conducted by comparing the PEC distribution with the PNEC. The results indicate that oxybenzone is of low concern and there is a significant margin of safety as the 90th percentile PEC is two orders of magnitude below the PNEC. These results are instrumental in demonstrating the environmental safety of key organic UV filters in the U.S. freshwater environment and will help prioritize future work. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;17:951–960. © 2021 Personal Care Products Council. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)