A novel two-dimensional liquid-chromatography method for online prediction of the toxicity of transformation products of benzophenones after water chlorination

Guidance document on the impact of water treatment processes on residues of active substances or their metabolites in water abstracted for the production of drinking water

This guidance document provides a tiered framework for risk assessors and facilitates risk managers in making decisions concerning the approval of active substances (AS) that are chemicals in plant protection products (PPPs) and biocidal products, and authorisation of the products. Based on the approaches presented in this document, a conclusion can be drawn on the impact of water treatment processes on residues of the AS or its metabolites in surface water and/or groundwater abstracted for the production of drinking water, i.e. the formation of transformation products (TPs). This guidance enables the identification of actual public health concerns from exposure to harmful compounds generated during the processing of water for the production of drinking water, and it focuses on water treatment methods commonly used in the European Union (EU). The tiered framework determines whether residues from PPP use or residues from biocidal product use can be present in water at water abstraction locations. Approaches, including experimental methods, are described that can be used to assess whether harmful TPs may form during water treatment and, if so, how to assess the impact of exposure to these water treatment TPs (tTPs) and other residues including environmental TPs (eTPs) on human and domesticated animal health through the consumption of TPs via drinking water. The types of studies or information that would be required are described while avoiding vertebrate testing as much as possible. The framework integrates the use of weight-of-evidence and, when possible alternative (new approach) methods to avoid as far as possible the need for additional testing.

Toxic effects and transcriptome analyses of zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae exposed to benzophenones

Sunscreen chemicals, such as benzophenones (BPs), are common environmental contaminants that are posing a growing health concern due to their increasing presence in water, fish, and human systems. Benzoresorcinol (BP1), oxybenzone (BP3), and dioxybenzone (BP8) are the most commonly used BPs for their ability to protect from sunburn by absorbing a broad spectrum of ultraviolet radiation. In this study, zebrafish larvae were used as an in vivo model to investigate the potential risks and molecular mechanisms of the toxic effects of BPs. The effects of these BPs on the gene expression in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor pathway, estrogen receptor pathway, and sex differentiation were detected using quantitative real-time PCR. All BPs were found to function as agonists of the estrogen receptors α and β1, indicating that these BPs likely undergo similar molecular metabolism in vivo, whereby they can activate cytochrome P450 genes and promote the expression of CYP19A and DMRT1. Furthermore, the gene expression profile of larvae after BP3 exposure was evaluated using a whole transcriptome sequencing approach. BP3 affected estradiol biosynthesis and sex differentiation. It also regulated gonadotropin-releasing hormone, thus interfering with the endocrine system. As a xenobiotic toxicant, BP3 upregulated the expression of cytochrome P450 genes (CYP1A and CYP3A65) and glutathione metabolism-related genes (GSTA, GSTM, and GSTP). It also interfered with the nervous system by regulating the calcium signaling pathway. These findings will be useful for understanding the toxicity mechanisms and metabolism of BPs in aquatic organisms and promote the regulation of these chemicals in the environment.

Photodegradation kinetics, transformation, and toxicity prediction of ketoprofen, carprofen, and diclofenac acid in aqueous solutions

Photodegradation of 3 commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, ketoprofen, carprofen, and diclofenac acid, was conducted under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The kinetic results showed that the 3 pharmaceuticals obeyed the first-order reaction with decreasing rate constants of 1.54 × 10^-4 , 5.91 × 10^-5 , and 7.78 × 10^-6  s^-1 for carprofen, ketoprofen, and diclofenac acid, respectively. Moreover, the main transformation products were identified by ion-pair liquid-liquid extraction combined with injection port derivatization-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometric analysis. There were 8, 3, and 6 transformation products identified for ketoprofen, carprofen, and diclofenac acid, respectively. Decarboxylation, dechlorination, oxidation, demethylation, esterification, and cyclization were proposed to be associated with the transformation of the 3 pharmaceuticals. Toxicity prediction of the transformation products was conducted on the EPI Suite software based on ECOSAR model, and the results indicate that some of the transformation products were more toxic than the parent compounds. The present study provides the foundation to understand the transformation behavior of the studied pharmaceuticals under UV irradiation. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:3232-3239. © 2017 SETAC.

Aqueous chlorination of fenamic acids: Kinetic study, transformation products identification and toxicity prediction

Fenamic acids, one important type of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are ubiquitous in environmental matrices. Thus it is of high significance to know the fate of them during chlorination disinfection considering their potential toxicity to the environment and humans. In the present study, the chlorination kinetics of three fenamic acids, i.e. mefenamic acid (MEF), tolfenamic acid (TOL) and clofenamic acid (CLO), were examined at different pHs, which followed second-order reaction under studied conditions. The studied fenamic acids degraded fast, with the largest apparent second-order rate coefficient (k_app) values of 446.7 M^-1 s^-1 (pH 7), 393.3 M^-1 s^-1 (pH 8) and 360.0 M^-1 s^-1 (pH 6) for MEF, TOL and CLO, respectively. The transformation products (TPs) were identified by solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer and ion-pair liquid-liquid extraction and injection port derivatization-gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. Despite different numbers of TPs were detected for each studied fenamic acid through these two analytical methods, the types of TPs were almost the same; chlorine substitution, oxidation and the joint oxidation with chlorine substitution are transformation reactions involved in chlorination. Moreover, the total toxicity of the TPs was assayed based on luminescent bacteria. Under different pHs, the different types of TPs might form, resulting in the varied total toxicity. The toxicity of all three fenamic acids chlorinated at pH of 8 was greater than those at pHs of 6 and 7. This study provided the information about the kinetics, transformation and toxicity of three fenamic acids during water chlorination, which is important to the drinking water safety.

Acute toxicity variation of hydroxyl benzophenone UV filters during photoinduction-chlorination disinfection processes

Benzophenones (BPs), a group of widely used UV filters, exert multiple, significant toxicity effects. The 11 BPs were selected as target compounds, and the photobacterium acute toxicity test and an index for acute toxicity formation potential (ATFP) were used to evaluate the toxicity variation of BPs before and after a photoinduction-chlorination disinfection process. Orthogonal experiments were performed at different pH values and chlorine dosages. The characteristics of ATFP values for 11 BPs after a photoinduction-chlorination process can be summarized as follows: (1) The ATFPs decreased as the hydroxyl group number increased in BPs molecules. (2) For those BPs with the same hydroxyl group number, the ATFPs were higher when the hydroxyl groups were located at the 3- or 4-position than those at the 2-position; the BPs with hydroxyl groups distributed on two benzene rings had higher ATFPs than those on one ring. (3) Introducing a methoxyl group and sulfonic acid group into BP molecules increased the ATFP values. (4) The ATFPs were pH-dependent, the values of which were lowest at the neutral condition and highest at the acid condition. (5) The ATFPs increased and then decreased as the chlorine dosage increased. The results can be used as a reference to scientifically evaluate the environmental fate and potential risk of BPs in photoinduction-chlorination disinfection processes.