1
|
Liu Y, Kannan K. Concentrations, Profiles, and Potential Sources of Liquid Crystal Monomers in Residential Indoor Dust from the United States. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:12400-12408. [PMID: 38967412 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c03131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are biphenyl- or cyclohexane-based organic chemicals used in electronic digital displays, and several of them possess bioaccumulative and toxic properties. Little is known about their occurrence in indoor dust from the United States. We analyzed 60 LCMs in 104 residential indoor dust samples collected from 16 states across the United States. Forty-seven of 60 LCMs were detected in dust samples at a median ∑LCM concentration of 402 ng/g (range: not detected to 4300 ng/g). Trans-4-propylcyclohexyl trans,trans-4'-propylbicyclohexyl-4-carboxylate (MPVBC) and (trans,trans)-4-fluorophenyl 4'-pentyl-[1,1'-bi(cyclohexane)]-4-carboxylate (FPeBC) were frequently detected in dust samples. We investigated potential sources of LCMs in dust by determining concentrations and profiles of these chemicals in smartphone screens, desktop and laptop computer monitors, and displays of other electronic devices and found that profiles in smartphones matched closely with those found in dust. The calculated median daily intake of ∑LCM through dust ingestion was 1.19 ng/kg bw/d for children, whereas that through dermal absorption was 0.18 ng/kg bw/d for adults in the United States.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Liu
- New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12237, United States
| | - Kurunthachalam Kannan
- New York State Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12237, United States
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, New York 12237, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Yang Y, Jiang X, Yang Y, Wang J, Zhao Y, Lin S, Qu J, Martyniuk CJ, Zhao Y, Li C. Photochemical transformation of liquid crystal monomers in simulated environmental media: Kinetics, mechanism, toxicity variation and QSAR modeling. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 261:122062. [PMID: 39002419 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are a new class of emerging pollutants with high octanol-water partition coefficients; however, their transformation behavior and associated risk to environments with high organic matter content has rarely been reported. In this study, we investigated the photodegradation kinetics, mechanism, and toxicity variation of 23 LCMs on leaf wax models (e.g., organic solvents methanol and n-hexane). The order of the photolysis rates of these LCMs were biphenylethyne LCMs > phenylbenzoate LCMs > diphenyl/terphenyl LCMs under simulated sunlight, while the phenylcyclohexane LCMs were resistant to photodegradation. The phenylbenzoate and biphenylethyne LCMs mainly undergo direct photolysis, while the diphenyl/terphenyl LCMs mainly undergo self-sensitized photolysis. The main photolysis pathways are the cleavage of ester bonds for phenylbenzoate LCMs, the addition, oxidation and cleavage of alkynyl groups for biphenylethyne LCMs, and the cleavage/oxidation of chains attached to phenyls and the benzene ring opening for diphenyl/terphenyls LCMs. Most photolysis products remained toxic to aquatic organisms to some degree. Additionally, two quantitative structure-activity relationship models for predicting kobs of LCMs in methanol and n-hexane were developed, and employed to predict kobs of 93 LCMs to fill the kobs data gap in systems mimicking leaf surfaces. These results can be helpful for evaluating the fate and risk of LCMs in environments with high content of organic phase.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yandong Yang
- Engineering Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Resources Recovery, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Xiangkun Jiang
- Engineering Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Resources Recovery, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Engineering Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Resources Recovery, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Jia Wang
- Engineering Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Resources Recovery, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Yahui Zhao
- Engineering Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Resources Recovery, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Shanshan Lin
- Engineering Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Resources Recovery, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Jiao Qu
- Engineering Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Resources Recovery, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Christopher J Martyniuk
- Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, UF Genetics Institute, Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Yuanhui Zhao
- Engineering Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Resources Recovery, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China
| | - Chao Li
- Engineering Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Resources Recovery, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130117, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Stadelmann B, Leonards PEG, Brandsma SH. A new class of contaminants of concern? A comprehensive review of liquid crystal monomers. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 947:174443. [PMID: 38964401 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are a class of emerging contaminants of concern predicted to be persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT). Being one of the key components in liquid crystal displays (LCDs), the disposal of LCD containing devices is closely related to the emission of LCMs into the environment. LCMs have been detected in a wide range of environmental matrices including dust, sediment, soil, sewage leachate, and air, with concentration ranges between 17 and 2121 ng/g found in indoor residential dust. Furthermore, they have been detected on human skin at concentrations up to 2,071,000 ng/m2 and in the serum of e-waste dismantling workers, at concentrations ranging from 3.9 to 276 ng/mL. Despite the far-reaching contamination of these compounds, there is limited knowledge of their environmental behaviour, fate, and toxicity. Model predictions show that 297 of 330 LCMs are persistent and bioaccumulative compounds, with many more indicated as being toxic. However, current knowledge of their physicochemical and PBT properties is largely restricted to theoretical predictions and limited to a small number of experimental toxicity studies. As an emerging class of contaminants of concern, a lack of standardisation between studies was identified as a key challenge to advancing the state of knowledge of these compounds. Not only are harmonised analytical methods for their determination and quantification in environmental media yet to be established, but there is also a need for a universal abbreviation system. To further harmonise the reporting of data on LCMs we propose reporting the sum concentration of ten priority LCMs, selected on the basis detection frequency, toxicity and potential for human exposure. Of the ten priority LCMs five are fluorinated biphenyls and analogues, four are biphenyls/bicyclohexyls and analogues and one is a cyanobiphenyl.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Stadelmann
- Institute Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Universiteit van Amsterdam, PO Box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Pim E G Leonards
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Chemistry for Environment & Health, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Sicco H Brandsma
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Chemistry for Environment & Health, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ge Y, Cui J, Zhang L, Zhang S, Baqar M, Cheng Z. Informal E-waste dismantling activities accelerated the releasing of liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) in Pakistan: Occurrence, distribution, and exposure assessment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 932:172987. [PMID: 38734084 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 04/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are emerging contaminants characterized by their persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and toxicity. They have been observed in several environmental matrices associated with electronic waste (e-waste) dismantling activities, particularly in China. However, there is currently no information on the pollution caused by LCMs in other developing countries, such as Pakistan. In this study, we collected soil samples (n = 59) from e-waste dismantling areas with different functions in Pakistan for quantification analysis of 52 target LCMs. Thirty out of 52 LCMs were detected in the soil samples, with the concentrations ranging from 2.14 to 191 ng/g (median: 16.3 ng/g), suggesting widespread contamination by these emerging contaminants. Fluorinated LCMs (median: 10.4 ng/g, range: 1.27-116 ng/g) were frequently detected and their levels were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those of non-fluorinated LCMs (median: 6.11 ng/g, range: not detected (ND)-76.7 ng/g). The concentrations and profiles of the observed LCMs in the soil samples from the four functional areas varied. The informal dismantling of e-waste poses a potential exposure risk to adults and infants, with median estimated daily intake (EDI, ng/kg bw/day) values of 0.0420 and 0.1013, respectively. Calculation of the hazard quotient (HQ) suggested that some LCMs (e.g., ETFMBC (1.374) and EDFPB (1.257)) may pose potential health risks to occupational workers and their families. Considering the widespread contamination and risks associated with LCMs, we strongly recommend enhancing e-waste management and regulation in Pakistan.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yanhui Ge
- School of Environmental Science and Safety Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Jingren Cui
- School of Environmental Science and Safety Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Lianying Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Safety Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Shaohan Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Mujtaba Baqar
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China; Sustainable Development Study Centre, Government College University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
| | - Zhipeng Cheng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wang F, Xiang L, Sze-Yin Leung K, Elsner M, Zhang Y, Guo Y, Pan B, Sun H, An T, Ying G, Brooks BW, Hou D, Helbling DE, Sun J, Qiu H, Vogel TM, Zhang W, Gao Y, Simpson MJ, Luo Y, Chang SX, Su G, Wong BM, Fu TM, Zhu D, Jobst KJ, Ge C, Coulon F, Harindintwali JD, Zeng X, Wang H, Fu Y, Wei Z, Lohmann R, Chen C, Song Y, Sanchez-Cid C, Wang Y, El-Naggar A, Yao Y, Huang Y, Cheuk-Fung Law J, Gu C, Shen H, Gao Y, Qin C, Li H, Zhang T, Corcoll N, Liu M, Alessi DS, Li H, Brandt KK, Pico Y, Gu C, Guo J, Su J, Corvini P, Ye M, Rocha-Santos T, He H, Yang Y, Tong M, Zhang W, Suanon F, Brahushi F, Wang Z, Hashsham SA, Virta M, Yuan Q, Jiang G, Tremblay LA, Bu Q, Wu J, Peijnenburg W, Topp E, Cao X, Jiang X, Zheng M, Zhang T, Luo Y, Zhu L, Li X, Barceló D, Chen J, Xing B, Amelung W, Cai Z, Naidu R, Shen Q, Pawliszyn J, Zhu YG, Schaeffer A, Rillig MC, Wu F, Yu G, Tiedje JM. Emerging contaminants: A One Health perspective. Innovation (N Y) 2024; 5:100612. [PMID: 38756954 PMCID: PMC11096751 DOI: 10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Environmental pollution is escalating due to rapid global development that often prioritizes human needs over planetary health. Despite global efforts to mitigate legacy pollutants, the continuous introduction of new substances remains a major threat to both people and the planet. In response, global initiatives are focusing on risk assessment and regulation of emerging contaminants, as demonstrated by the ongoing efforts to establish the UN's Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution Prevention. This review identifies the sources and impacts of emerging contaminants on planetary health, emphasizing the importance of adopting a One Health approach. Strategies for monitoring and addressing these pollutants are discussed, underscoring the need for robust and socially equitable environmental policies at both regional and international levels. Urgent actions are needed to transition toward sustainable pollution management practices to safeguard our planet for future generations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Leilei Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kelvin Sze-Yin Leung
- Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
- HKBU Institute of Research and Continuing Education, Shenzhen Virtual University Park, Shenzhen, China
| | - Martin Elsner
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Institute of Hydrochemistry, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Ying Zhang
- School of Resources & Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Yuming Guo
- Climate, Air Quality Research Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Bo Pan
- Faculty of Environmental Science & Engineering, Kunming University of Science & Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Hongwen Sun
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Taicheng An
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Guangguo Ying
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environmental Theoretical Chemistry, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
| | - Bryan W. Brooks
- Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
- Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research (CRASR), Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Deyi Hou
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Damian E. Helbling
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Jianqiang Sun
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Hao Qiu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Timothy M. Vogel
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie Microbienne, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1, UMR CNRS 5557, UMR INRAE 1418, VetAgro Sup, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Yanzheng Gao
- Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang Road 1, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Myrna J. Simpson
- Environmental NMR Centre and Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Yi Luo
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Scott X. Chang
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 442 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, Canada
| | - Guanyong Su
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
| | - Bryan M. Wong
- Materials Science & Engineering Program, Department of Chemistry, and Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Tzung-May Fu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Dong Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Karl J. Jobst
- Department of Chemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Avenue, St. John’s, NL A1C 5S7, Canada
| | - Chengjun Ge
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Frederic Coulon
- School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, UK
| | - Jean Damascene Harindintwali
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiankui Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Surficial Geochemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Haijun Wang
- Institute for Ecological Research and Pollution Control of Plateau Lakes, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650504, China
| | - Yuhao Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhong Wei
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Rainer Lohmann
- Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI, USA
| | - Changer Chen
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environmental Theoretical Chemistry, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
| | - Yang Song
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Concepcion Sanchez-Cid
- Environmental Microbial Genomics, UMR 5005 Laboratoire Ampère, CNRS, École Centrale de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Écully, France
| | - Yu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ali El-Naggar
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 442 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, Canada
- Department of Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11241, Egypt
| | - Yiming Yao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Yanran Huang
- Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | | | - Chenggang Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Huizhong Shen
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yanpeng Gao
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Chao Qin
- Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang Road 1, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Hao Li
- Faculty of Environmental Science & Engineering, Kunming University of Science & Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Tong Zhang
- Environmental Microbiome Engineering and Biotechnology Laboratory, Center for Environmental Engineering Research, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Natàlia Corcoll
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Min Liu
- Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Daniel S. Alessi
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, Canada
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Kristian K. Brandt
- Section for Microbial Ecology and Biotechnology, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
- Sino-Danish Center (SDC), Beijing, China
| | - Yolanda Pico
- Food and Environmental Safety Research Group of the University of Valencia (SAMA-UV), Desertification Research Centre - CIDE (CSIC-UV-GV), Road CV-315 km 10.7, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain
| | - Cheng Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jianqiang Su
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Philippe Corvini
- School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, 4132 Muttenz, Switzerland
| | - Mao Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Teresa Rocha-Santos
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) & Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Huan He
- Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory of Water and Soil Eco-remediation, School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Meiping Tong
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Weina Zhang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Fidèle Suanon
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Materials and Molecular Modeling (LCP3M), University of Abomey-Calavi, Republic of Benin, Cotonou 01 BP 526, Benin
| | - Ferdi Brahushi
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Agricultural University of Tirana, 1029 Tirana, Albania
| | - Zhenyu Wang
- Institute of Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, and School of Environment & Ecology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Syed A. Hashsham
- Center for Microbial Ecology, Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Marko Virta
- Department of Microbiology, University of Helsinki, 00010 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Qingbin Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
| | - Gaofei Jiang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Louis A. Tremblay
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, Aotearoa 1142, New Zealand
| | - Qingwei Bu
- School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology - Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Jichun Wu
- Key Laboratory of Surficial Geochemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Willie Peijnenburg
- National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Center for the Safety of Substances and Products, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
- Leiden University, Center for Environmental Studies, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Edward Topp
- Agroecology Mixed Research Unit, INRAE, 17 rue Sully, 21065 Dijon Cedex, France
| | - Xinde Cao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xin Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Minghui Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Taolin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Yongming Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lizhong Zhu
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Xiangdong Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Damià Barceló
- Chemistry and Physics Department, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain
| | - Jianmin Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention (LAP3), Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Baoshan Xing
- Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Wulf Amelung
- Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), Soil Science and Soil Ecology, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
- Agrosphere Institute (IBG-3), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Zongwei Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis, Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ravi Naidu
- Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER), The University of Newcastle (UON), Newcastle, NSW 2308, Australia
- Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE), The University of Newcastle (UON), Newcastle, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - Qirong Shen
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Janusz Pawliszyn
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Yong-guan Zhu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Andreas Schaeffer
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Matthias C. Rillig
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
| | - Fengchang Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Gang Yu
- Advanced Interdisciplinary Institute of Environment and Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
| | - James M. Tiedje
- Center for Microbial Ecology, Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Yang Q, Zhou T, Liu Y, Weng J, Gao L, Liu Y, Xu M, Zhao B, Zheng M. Analysis of 78 trace liquid crystal monomers in air by gas chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 928:172459. [PMID: 38615780 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) comprise a class of organic pollutants that have garnered considerable attention because of their dioxin-like toxicity (i.e., modulation of genes) and presence in various environments. However, limited information about the identities, occurrence, and distribution of LCMs has highlighted an urgent need for a high-throughput and sensitive analytical method. In this study, we developed and validated a rapid, simple, sensitive method that involves minimal solvent consumption. The method was applied for the simultaneous detection and identification of 78 LCMs in atmospheric total suspended particulate samples (dae < 100 μm) using gas chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. The results showed high degrees of linearity with correlation coefficients >0.995 in the concentration range of 5.0-500 ng/mL. The instrumental detection limits ranged from 0.7 to 5.3 pg, and the method detection limits ranged from 0.1 to 0.9 pg/m3. The accuracy of the method was between 70 % and 130 % for most analytes, and the relative standard deviations of six replicates were <15 % at three levels of spiking (10, 50, and 200 ng/mL). The developed analytical method was applied to analyze real air particulate samples from Beijing, China. Overall, 45 LCMs ranged from 65.5 to 145.7 pg/m3, with a mean concentration of 92.5 pg/m3. Among them, (trans,trans)-4-propyl-4'-ethenyl-1,1'-bicyclohexane (PVB) was the most abundant, with an average concentration of 33.6 pg/m3. The total estimated daily intakes of LCMs for adults and children were 15.6 and 46.6 pg/kg bw/day, respectively. Accordingly, the method described herein is suitable for quantifying LCMs in atmospheric particulate samples. This study will be valuable for investigating LCM environmental occurrence, behaviors, and risk assessments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qianling Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tingting Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310000, China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Jiyuan Weng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Lirong Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Yin Liu
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310000, China
| | - Ming Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Bin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Minghui Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wu J, Ye W, Feng Y, Lao W, Li J, Lu H, Liu G, Su G, Deng Y. Aquatic photolysis of high-risk fluorinated liquid crystal monomers: Kinetics, toxicity evaluation, and mechanisms. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 255:121510. [PMID: 38555780 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Despite the frequent detection of fluorinated liquid-crystal monomers (FLCMs) in the environment, the level of understanding of their fate, toxicity, and transformation remains insufficient. Herein, we investigated the degradation kinetics and mechanism of an FLCM (4-cyano-3-fluorophenyl 4-ethylbenzoate, CEB-F) under ultraviolet (UV) photolysis in aquatic environment. Our findings demonstrated that the UV photolysis of CEB-F followed first-order kinetics. Photodegradation products were identified using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry, and detailed reaction pathways were proposed. It is postulated that through the attack of reactive oxygen species, hydroxylation, and CO/C-F bond cleavage, CEB-F gradually degraded into small molecular compounds, releasing fluorine ions. Acute immobilization tests with Daphnia magna (D. magna) revealed significant acute toxicity of CEB-F, with LC50 values ranging from 1.023 to 0.0536 μM over 24 to 96 h, emphasizing the potential high risk of FLCMs in aquatic ecosystems if inadvertently discharged. Interestingly, we found that the toxicity of CEB-F photolysis reaction solutions was effectively reduced. Through catalase and acetylcholinesterase activities analysis along with molecular docking simulation, we proposed differences in the underlying toxicity mechanisms of CEB-F and its photolysis products to D. magna. These findings highlight the potential harmful effects of FLCMs on aquatic ecosystems and enrich our understanding of the photolysis behavior of FLCMs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jingyi Wu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Weibiao Ye
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Yiping Feng
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
| | - Wenhao Lao
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Junchun Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Contaminated Sites Environmental Management and Remediation, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Environmental Science, Guangzhou, 510045, China
| | - Haijian Lu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Contaminated Sites Environmental Management and Remediation, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Environmental Science, Guangzhou, 510045, China
| | - Guoguang Liu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Guanyong Su
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Research Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
| | - Yirong Deng
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Contaminated Sites Environmental Management and Remediation, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Environmental Science, Guangzhou, 510045, China.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
He S, He J, Ma S, Wei K, Wu F, Xu J, Jin X, Zhao Y, Martyniuk CJ. Liquid crystal monomers disrupt photoreceptor patterning of zebrafish larvae via thyroid hormone signaling. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 188:108747. [PMID: 38761427 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are the raw material for liquid crystal displays, and their use is steadily increasing in electronic products. Recently, LCMs have been reported to be novel endocrine disrupting chemicals, however, the mechanisms underlying their potential for thyroid hormone disruption and visual toxicity are not well understood. In this study, six widely used fluorinated LCMs (FLCMs) were selected to determine putative mechanisms underlying FLCM-induced toxicity to the zebrafish thyroid and visual systems. Exposure to FLCMs caused damage to retinal structures and reduced cell density of ganglion cell layer, inner nuclear layer, and photoreceptor layer approximately 12.6-46.1%. Exposure to FLCMs also disrupted thyroid hormone levels and perturbed the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis by affecting key enzymes and protein in zebrafish larvae. A thyroid hormone-dependent GH3 cell viability assay supported the hypothesis that FLCMs act as thyroid hormone disrupting chemicals. It was also determined that FLCMs containing aliphatic ring structures may have a higher potential for T3 antagonism compared to FLCMs without an aliphatic ring. Molecular docking in silico suggested that FLCMs may affect biological functions of thyroxine binding globulin, membrane receptor integrin, and thyroid receptor beta. Lastly, the visual motor response of zebrafish in red- and green-light was significantly inhibited following exposure to FLCMs. Taken together, we demonstrate that FLCMs can act as thyroid hormone disruptors to induce visual dysfunction in zebrafish via several molecular mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shan He
- College of Geo-exploration Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130026, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Jia He
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Urban Hydrological Cycle and Sponge City Technology, College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Siying Ma
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Urban Hydrological Cycle and Sponge City Technology, College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Kunyu Wei
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Urban Hydrological Cycle and Sponge City Technology, College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Fengchang Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
| | - Jian Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Xiaowei Jin
- China National Environmental Monitoring Centre, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Yuanhui Zhao
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin 130117, China
| | - Christopher J Martyniuk
- Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, UF Genetics Institute, Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
He W, Cui Y, Li Y, Yang H, Liu Z, Zhang M, Li Y. Accumulation characteristics of liquid crystal monomers in plants: A multidimensional analysis. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 468:133848. [PMID: 38401218 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs), identified as emerging contaminations, have been detected in soils and plants, but their accumulation characteristics in plants haven't been studied. Therefore, this study systematically investigated the accumulation characteristics of LCMs in plants from four dimensions (i.e., plant fruit species, soil types, plant growth stages, and LCMs categories) for the first time. The LCMs concentrations (9.96 × 10-4 to 114.608 ng/g) in 22 plant fruits were predicted by the partition-limited model. Grains with the highest lipid content showed the highest LCMs accumulation propensity. Plants grown in paddy soil showed a strong LCMs accumulation capacity. Results showed that the LCMs accumulation capacity in plants from soils decreased when the soil organic matter content increased. A preferential accumulation of LCMs in plant root systems during growth was found by the molecular dynamics simulations. Compared to polychlorinated biphenyls (as the reference contaminants of LCMs), LCMs exhibit higher accumulation in plant roots and lower translocation to shoots. For the fourth dimension, lipophilicity was found to be the main reason of LCMs accumulation by intergraded stepwise linear regression with sensitivity analysis. This is the inaugural research concentrating on LCMs accumulation in plants, providing insights and theoretical guidance for future LCMs management strategies multidimensionally.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei He
- MOE Key Laboratory of Resources Environmental Systems Optimization, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yuhan Cui
- MOE Key Laboratory of Resources Environmental Systems Optimization, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yunxiang Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Resources Environmental Systems Optimization, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Hao Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Resources Environmental Systems Optimization, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Zeyang Liu
- School of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Changchun Institute of Technology, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of All Material Fluxes in River Ecosystems, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, International Joint Laboratory for Regional Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Yu Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Resources Environmental Systems Optimization, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Li H, Lyu B, Li J, Shi Z. Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) in indoor residential dust from Beijing, China: occurrence and human exposure. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:29859-29869. [PMID: 38592626 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33236-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are widely used in electronic devices and emerging as an environmental pollutant, while their occurrence in indoor environments is still less studied. In this study, 32 out of 37 target LCMs were detected in indoor residential dust samples (n = 112) from Beijing, China. Concentrations of Σ32LCMs ranged from 17.8 to 197 ng/g, with a median value of 54.7 ng/g. Fluorinated biphenyls and analogs (FBAs) and cyanobiphenyls and analogs (CBAs), with median concentrations of 22.8 and 15.9 ng/g, respectively, were the main kinds of LCMs. Although 32 LCMs can be detected, four monomers with the highest contamination levels contributed to almost 70% of the total LCMs. Spearman correlation analysis found significant correlations among some monomers, which indicated that they might share similar sources in the residential environment. Estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of LCMs via indoor dust for Beijing residents were calculated, and the results showed that dust ingestion and dermal contact were both main intake pathways to LCMs, and younger people may face higher exposure to LCMs. A comparison to the results of China's total diet study showed that EDIs of LCMs via food consumption might be higher than that via dust intake, while health risks caused by exposure of LCMs for the general population, both through food and dust, were insignificant at present.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hui Li
- School of Public Health and Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
- NHC Key Lab of Food Safety Risk Assessment, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Food Safety, (No. 2019RU014), China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA), Beijing, 100022, China
| | - Bing Lyu
- NHC Key Lab of Food Safety Risk Assessment, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Food Safety, (No. 2019RU014), China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA), Beijing, 100022, China
| | - Jingguang Li
- NHC Key Lab of Food Safety Risk Assessment, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Food Safety, (No. 2019RU014), China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA), Beijing, 100022, China
| | - Zhixiong Shi
- School of Public Health and Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Zheng S, Wang J, Luo K, Gu X, Yuan G, Wei M, Yao Y, Zhao Y, Dai J, Zhang K. Comprehensive Characterization of Organic Light-Emitting Materials in Breast Milk by Target and Suspect Screening. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:5103-5116. [PMID: 38445973 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c08961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Organic light-emitting materials (OLEMs) are emerging contaminants in the environment and have been detected in various environment samples. However, limited information is available regarding their contamination within the human body. Here, we developed a novel QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method coupled with triple quadrupole/high-resolution mass spectrometry to determine OLEMs in breast milk samples, employing both target and suspect screening strategies. Our analysis uncovered the presence of seven out of the 39 targeted OLEMs in breast milk samples, comprising five liquid crystal monomers and two OLEMs commonly used in organic light-emitting diode displays. The cumulative concentrations of the seven OLEMs in each breast milk sample ranged from ND to 1.67 × 103 ng/g lipid weight, with a mean and median concentration of 78.76 and 0.71 ng/g lipid weight, respectively, which were higher compared to that of typical organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. We calculated the estimated daily intake (EDI) rates of OLEMs for infants aged 0-12 months, and the mean EDI rates during lactation were estimated to range from 30.37 to 54.89 ng/kg bw/day. Employing a suspect screening approach, we additionally identified 66 potential OLEMs, and two of them, cholesteryl hydrogen phthalate and cholesteryl benzoate, were further confirmed using pure reference standards. These two substances belong to cholesteric liquid crystal materials and raise concerns about potential endocrine-disrupting effects, as indicated by in silico predictive models. Overall, our present study established a robust method for the identification of OLEMs in breast milk samples, shedding light on their presence in the human body. These findings indicate human exposure to OLEMs that should be further investigated, including their health risks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shuping Zheng
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Jingsheng Wang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Kai Luo
- Key Laboratory of Environment Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xiaoxia Gu
- Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Guanxiang Yuan
- Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Meiting Wei
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, Guangdong, China
| | - Yao Yao
- The Genetics Laboratory, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City, Longgang Maternity and Child Institute, Shantou University Medical College, Shenzhen 518172, Guangdong, China
| | - Yanbin Zhao
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jiayin Dai
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Kun Zhang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Wu E, Chen H, Tang L, Zeng L, Ji H, Zhu M. Molecular understanding on ultraviolet photolytic degradation of cyano liquid crystal monomers. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 465:133033. [PMID: 38006861 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Abstract
Cyano liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are proposed as emerging chemical pollutants with persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic properties. Herein, five cyano LCMs, including 4-cyano-4'-ethylbiphenyl (2CB), 4-Butyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl (4CB), 4-cyano-4'-ethoxybiphenyl (2OCB), 4-(trans-4-Ethylcyclohexyl)benzonitrile (2CHB) and 4-(trans-4-Vinylcyclohexyl)benzonitrile (2eCHB), were selected to investigate the reaction kinetics and excited state characteristic variations with their molecular structures by ultraviolet (UV) photolysis. Theoretical calculations reveal that the benzene ring, ethoxy and double bond can deeply alter the electron distribution of cyano LCMs. This will affect the exciton separation ability, excitation properties and active sites to electrophilic attack, causing the distinction in photolysis efficiency. Due to the effective charge separation during local excitation (LE) process and the property of being most susceptible to electrophilic attack by 1O2 and O2•-, 2eCHB with double bond exhibits the largest degradation rate. Conversely, the weakest exciton separation of 2OCB with ethoxy during charge transfer (CT) process limits its subsequent sensitized photolysis process. The molecular orbital and fragment contributions to holes and electrons further deepen the understanding of the excited states charge transfer. This study confirmed that the intrinsic molecular structure, chemical nature and existing sites directly defined the excitation and decomposition activity in the UV photolysis of cyano LCMs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Enya Wu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, PR China
| | - Hanchun Chen
- Eco-environment and Resource Efficiency Research Laboratory, School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, PR China
| | - Lingfang Tang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, PR China
| | - Lixi Zeng
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, PR China
| | - Haodong Ji
- Eco-environment and Resource Efficiency Research Laboratory, School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, PR China.
| | - Mingshan Zhu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Huang Y, Ruan Q, Fang S, Duan Y, Zheng J, Xiang Z, Shen Y, Liu S, Ouyang G. Toxicity Assessment of Environmental Liquid Crystal Monomers: A Bacteriological Investigation on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38321847 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c08281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
The widespread existence of liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) in various environmental matrices has been demonstrated, yet studies on the toxicological effects of LCMs are considerably scarce and are urgently needed to be conducted to assess the adverse impacts on ecology and human health. Here, we conducted a bacteriological study on two representative human commensal bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis), to investigate the effect of LCMs at human-relevant dosage and maximum environmental concentration on growth, metabolome, enzymatic activity, and mRNA expression. Microbial growth results exhibited that the highest inhibition ratio of LCMs on S. epidermidis reached 33.6% in our set concentration range, while the corresponding data on E. coli was only 14.3%. Additionally, LCMs showed more dose-dependent toxicity to S. epidermidis rather than E. coli. A novel in vivo solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber was applied to capture the in vivo metabolites of microorganisms. In vivo metabolomic analyses revealed that dysregulated fatty acid metabolism-related products of both bacteria accounted for >50% of the total number of differential substances, and the results also showed the species-specific and concentration-dependent metabolic dysregulation in LCM-exposed bacteria. The determination of enzymatic activity and mRNA relative expression levels related to oxidative stress confirmed our speculation that the adverse effects were related to the oxidative metabolism of fatty acids. This study complements the gaps in toxicity data for LCMs against bacteria and provides a new and important insight regarding metabolic dysregulation induced by environmental LCMs in human commensal bacteria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yiquan Huang
- KLGHEI of Environment and Energy Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Measurement and Emergency Test Technology, Institute of Analysis, Guangdong Academy of Sciences (China National Analytical Center Guangzhou), 100 Xianlie Middle Road, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Qijun Ruan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Measurement and Emergency Test Technology, Institute of Analysis, Guangdong Academy of Sciences (China National Analytical Center Guangzhou), 100 Xianlie Middle Road, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Shuting Fang
- KLGHEI of Environment and Energy Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Measurement and Emergency Test Technology, Institute of Analysis, Guangdong Academy of Sciences (China National Analytical Center Guangzhou), 100 Xianlie Middle Road, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Yingming Duan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Measurement and Emergency Test Technology, Institute of Analysis, Guangdong Academy of Sciences (China National Analytical Center Guangzhou), 100 Xianlie Middle Road, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Jiating Zheng
- KLGHEI of Environment and Energy Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Measurement and Emergency Test Technology, Institute of Analysis, Guangdong Academy of Sciences (China National Analytical Center Guangzhou), 100 Xianlie Middle Road, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Zhangmin Xiang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Measurement and Emergency Test Technology, Institute of Analysis, Guangdong Academy of Sciences (China National Analytical Center Guangzhou), 100 Xianlie Middle Road, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Yong Shen
- KLGHEI of Environment and Energy Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Shuqin Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Measurement and Emergency Test Technology, Institute of Analysis, Guangdong Academy of Sciences (China National Analytical Center Guangzhou), 100 Xianlie Middle Road, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Gangfeng Ouyang
- KLGHEI of Environment and Energy Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Measurement and Emergency Test Technology, Institute of Analysis, Guangdong Academy of Sciences (China National Analytical Center Guangzhou), 100 Xianlie Middle Road, Guangzhou 510070, China
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Huo Y, An Z, Li M, Jiang J, Zhou Y, Xie J, Zhang J, He M. Atmospheric fate of typical liquid crystal monomers in the tropospheric gas, liquid, and granular phases. J Environ Sci (China) 2024; 136:348-360. [PMID: 37923444 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2022.12.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 12/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Mineral aerosol particles significantly impact environmental risk prediction of liquid crystal monomers (LCMs). In this work, we investigated the reaction mechanisms and kinetics of three typical LCMs (4-cyano-3,5-difluorophenyl 4-ethylbenzoate (CEB-2F), 4-cyano-3-fluorophenyl 4-ethylbenzoate (CEB-F), and 4-cyanophenyl 4-ethylbenzoate (CEB)) with ozone (O3) in the atmospheric gas, liquid, and particle phases employing density functional theory (DFT). Here, O3 is prone to add to the benzene ring without F atom(s) in the selected LCMs. The ozonolysis products are aldehydes, carboxylic acids, epoxides, and unsaturated hydrocarbons containing aromatic rings. Those products undergo secondary ozonolysis to generate small molecular compounds such as glyoxal, which is beneficial for generating secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Titanium dioxide (TiO2), an essential component of mineral aerosol particles, has good adsorption properties for LCMs; however, it slightly reduces the reactivity with O3. At 298 K, the reaction rate constant of the selected LCMs reacting with O3 in the gas and atmospheric liquid phases is (2.74‒5.53) × 10-24 cm3/(mol·sec) and 5.58 × 10-3‒39.1 L/(mol·sec), while CEB-2F reacting with O3 on (TiO2)6 cluster is 1.84 × 10-24 cm3/(mol·sec). The existence of TiO2 clusters increases the persistence and long-distance transportability of LCMs, which enlarges the contaminated area of LCMs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yanru Huo
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Zexiu An
- College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China
| | - Mingxue Li
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Jinchan Jiang
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Yuxin Zhou
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Ju Xie
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225002, China
| | - Jianguo Zhang
- Jinan Environmental Research Academy, Jinan 250000, China.
| | - Maoxia He
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Wang J, Wang S, Zhang Z, Wang X, Xia K, Li L, Liu Q. Understanding the importance of atmospheric transformation in assessing the hazards of liquid crystal monomers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2024; 26:94-104. [PMID: 38050819 DOI: 10.1039/d3em00424d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs), a group of synthetic chemicals released from liquid crystal devices such as televisions and smartphones, have recently been recognized as emerging contaminants due to their widespread occurrence in the environment and potential negative impacts on human health. Airborne LCMs can undergo atmospheric oxidation reactions to form various transformation products. Despite the certainty of atmospheric transformation chemistry, the knowledge about the hazard properties of transformation products remains largely unknown. Here, we perform an in silico model-based evaluation of the persistence, bioaccumulation potential, mobility, and toxicity of two representative LCMs, namely, 1-ethyl-4-(4-(4-propylcyclohexyl)phenyl)benzene and 4''-ethyl-2'-fluoro-4-propyl-1,1':4',1''-terphenyl, and their transformation products. We found that, among the investigated transformation products, 38% have overall persistence greater than the minimum of 331 days among the persistent organic pollutants regulated by the Stockholm Convention, 62% meet the bioaccumulation threshold of 1000 L kg-1 used by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 44% are classified "mobile" according to the criterion used by the German Environmental Agency, and 58% have the potential to induce unacceptable toxic effects in aquatic organisms. Furthermore, we identified several transformation products with increased persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and mobility compared to their parent compounds. These findings not only offer insights for prioritizing LCM transformation products for future risk assessment, but also underscore the significance of considering atmospheric transformation in the evaluation of environmental risks posed by emerging contaminants, including LCMs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jinlong Wang
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Shenghong Wang
- School of Public Health, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV 89557-274, USA.
| | - Zhizhen Zhang
- School of Public Health, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV 89557-274, USA.
| | - Xinkai Wang
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Kaihui Xia
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Li Li
- School of Public Health, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV 89557-274, USA.
| | - Qifan Liu
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Polar Environment and Global Change, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Xie JF, Wei GL, Zeng LX, Liu LY. Liquid crystal monomers in soils near the e-waste recycling site and liquid crystal display manufacturer: Exponential decrease with distance. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 909:168428. [PMID: 37972771 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) have been recognized as contaminants of emerging concerns. E-waste recycling sites and liquid crystal displays (LCDs) manufacturers are supposed to be critical sources. However, information regarding LCM contaminations in soils surrounding these sites are currently unavailable. In this study, soil samples were collected from two distinct areas in South China: e-waste recycling area (n = 36) and LCD manufacturer (n = 41), and 60 target LCMs (including 13 biphenyl and analogs (BAs), 10 cyanobiphenyl and analogs (CBAs), and 37 fluorinated biphenyl and analogs (FBAs)) were determined. The concentrations of LCMs in the soils from near the e-waste recycling area (0.32-18 ng/g, average: 4.2 ng/g) were higher than those surrounding the LCD manufacturer (ND - 7.2 ng/g, average: 1.5 ng/g). The compositional profiles of LCMs in soil samples from these two typical point sources were considerably different. The concentrations of FBAs exponentially decreased with distance from the e-waste recycling park, by >90 % within 2 km. The levels of BAs exhibited a similar exponential decrease with distance from the LCD manufacturer. The inventories of LCMs were estimated to be 21.0 kg in the e-waste recycling area and 10.8 kg in the LCD manufacturer area. Remarkably, the inventory of LCMs in soils from e-waste recycling area was one order of magnitude larger than that of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in the same region, and 0.2 to 20 times the annual global emissions of LCMs from discarded LCD panels. More studies are required to elucidate the environmental occurrence, behavior, and fate of LCMs in multimedia environment surrounding typical point sources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiong-Feng Xie
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Gao-Ling Wei
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Li-Xi Zeng
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Liang-Ying Liu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Lin H, Li X, Qin X, Cao Y, Ruan Y, Leung MKH, Leung KMY, Lam PKS, He Y. Particle size-dependent and route-specific exposure to liquid crystal monomers in indoor air: Implications for human health risk estimations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 908:168328. [PMID: 37926258 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
In indoor environments, liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) released from display devices is a significant concern, necessitating a comprehensive investigation into their distribution behaviors and potential health risks. Herein, we examined various LCMs in educational and workplace air and compared their associated health risks through inhalation and dermal absorption routes. 4-propyl-4'-vinylbicyclohexyl (3VbcH) and 4,4'-bis(4-propylcyclohexyl) biphenyl (b3CHB) with median concentrations of 101 and 1460 pg m-3, were the predominant LCMs in gaseous and particulate phases, respectively. Composition and concentration of LCMs differed substantially between sampling locations due to the discrepancy in the quantity, types, and brands of electronic devices in each location. Three models were further employed to estimate the gas-particle partitioning of LCMs and compared with the measured data. The results indicated that the HB model exhibited the best overall performance, while the LMY model provided a good fit for LCMs with higher log Koa (>12.48). Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate and compared the probabilistic daily exposure dose and potential health risks. Inhalation exposure of LCMs was significantly greater than the dermal absorption by approximately 1-2 orders of magnitude, implying that it was the primary exposure route of human exposure to airborne LCMs. However, certain LCMs exhibited comparable or higher exposure levels via the dermal absorption route due to the significant overall permeability coefficient. Furthermore, the particle size was discovered to impact the daily exposure dose, contingent on the particle mass-transfer coefficients and accumulation of LCMs on diverse particle sizes. Although the probabilistic non-carcinogenic risks of LCMs were relatively low, their chronic effects on human beings merit further investigations. Overall, this study provides insights into the contamination and potential health risks of LCMs in indoor environments, underscoring the importance of considering particle sizes and all possible exposure pathways in estimating human health risks caused by airborne organic contaminants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huiju Lin
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Xinxing Li
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xian Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yaru Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuefei Ruan
- Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Michael K H Leung
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kenneth M Y Leung
- Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Paul K S Lam
- Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Department of Science, School of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuhe He
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Zhu X, Yu Y, Meng W, Huang J, Su G, Zhong Y, Yu X, Sun J, Jin L, Peng P, Zhu L. Aerobic Microbial Transformation of Fluorinated Liquid Crystal Monomer: New Pathways and Mechanism. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:510-521. [PMID: 38100654 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c04256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Fluorinated liquid crystal monomers (FLCMs) have been suggested as emerging contaminants, raising global concern due to their frequent occurrence, potential toxic effects, and endurance capacity in the environment. However, the environmental fate of the FLCMs remains unknown. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated the aerobic microbial transformation mechanisms of an important FLCM, 4-[difluoro(3,4,5-trifluorophenoxy)methyl]-3, 5-difluoro-4'-propylbiphenyl (DTMDPB), using an enrichment culture termed as BG1. Our findings revealed that 67.5 ± 2.1% of the initially added DTMDPB was transformed in 10 days under optimal conditions. A total of 14 microbial transformation products obtained due to a series of reactions (e.g., reductive defluorination, ether bond cleavage, demethylation, oxidative hydroxylation and aromatic ring opening, sulfonation, glucuronidation, O-methylation, and thiolation) were identified. Consortium BG1 harbored essential genes that could transform DTMDPB, such as dehalogenation-related genes [e.g., glutathione S-transferase gene (GST), 2-haloacid dehalogenase gene (2-HAD), nrdB, nuoC, and nuoD]; hydroxylating-related genes hcaC, ubiH, and COQ7; aromatic ring opening-related genes ligB and catE; and methyltransferase genes ubiE and ubiG. Two DTMDPB-degrading strains were isolated, which are affiliated with the genus Sphingopyxis and Agromyces. This study provides a novel insight into the microbial transformation of FLCMs. The findings of this study have important implications for the development of bioremediation strategies aimed at addressing sites contaminated with FLCMs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xifen Zhu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Pollution Processes and Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming, Guangdong 525000, China
| | - Yuanyuan Yu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Pollution Processes and Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming, Guangdong 525000, China
| | - Weikun Meng
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, PR China
| | - Jiahui Huang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Pollution Processes and Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming, Guangdong 525000, China
| | - Guanyong Su
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, PR China
| | - Yin Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wushan, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Xiaolong Yu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Pollution Processes and Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming, Guangdong 525000, China
| | - Jianteng Sun
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Pollution Processes and Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming, Guangdong 525000, China
| | - Ling Jin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon 999077, Hong Kong
| | - Ping'an Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Resources Utilization, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wushan, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Lizhong Zhu
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
He X, Zhang Z, Zhou F, Hu Y, Zou C, Gao Y, Wang Q, Yu M, Yang H. Study on the Effect of α-Substituted Acrylate Monomers on the Electro-Optical Properties of Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal Films. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:58861-58872. [PMID: 38059631 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c13382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) show great application potential in the areas of displays and smart windows. However, their electro-optical (E-O) properties such as contrast ratio and threshold voltage still need further improvement. In this study, the effects of α-substituted acrylate monomers on the morphology and E-O properties of PDLC composite films were systematically studied. It was found that the large substituent tended to increase the void size of the polymer matrix, while the small fluorine substitution led to a microsphere-type polymer morphology, which deteriorated the E-O performance. Finally, a largely improved E-O performance of low threshold voltage (0.437 V/μm), low saturation voltage (1.012 V/μm), and high contrast ratio (27) was achieved in an 8 μm-thick film by the addition of a chlorine-substituted monomer. This study provides a new approach for optimizing PDLCs from a material perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xian He
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
| | - Zuowei Zhang
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
| | - Foxin Zhou
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
| | - Yongchuan Hu
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
| | - Cheng Zou
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
| | - Yanzi Gao
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
| | - Qian Wang
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
| | - Meina Yu
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
| | - Huai Yang
- Institute for Advanced Materials and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, No. 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Yao LL, Wang JL, Xu RF, Zhu M, Ma Y, Tang B, Lu QY, Cai FS, Yan X, Zheng J, Yu YJ. Occurrence of liquid crystal monomers in indoor and outdoor air particle matters (PM 10): Implications for human exposure indoors. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 905:166964. [PMID: 37699486 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are potentially persistent, bioaccumulating, and toxic substances. However, limited data are available on the occurrence of LCMs in indoor and outdoor air particle matter (PM10) in residential areas. Herein, residential areas near an e-waste dismantling center (Guiyu Town, Shantou City), as well as areas away from the e-waste site (Jiedong District, Jieyang City) were selected as the sampling areas. PM10 was collected from the indoor environments of Guiyu (IGY) and Jieyang (IJY), as well as those from the outdoor environments (OGY and OJY) using the high-volume air samplers (TH-10000C). The levels of 57 LCMs in PM10 were analyzed, and the highest concentrations of LCMs were found in IGY (0.970-1080 pg/m3), followed by IJY (2.853-455 pg/m3), OGY (0.544-116 pg/m3) and OJY (0.258-35.8 pg/m3). No significant difference was observed for LCM levels in indoor PM10 between the two areas (p > 0.05), which were significantly higher than those in outdoors (p < 0.05), indicating that the release of electronic products in general indoor environments is a source of LCMs that cannot be ignored. The compositions of LCMs in outdoors were not consistent with those of indoors. The correlation analysis of individual LCMs suggested potential different sources to the LCMs in indoor and outdoor environments. The median daily intake values of Σ46LCMs via inhalation were estimated as 0.440, 1.46 × 10-2, 0.170 and 1.19 × 10-2 ng/kg BW/day for adults, and as 2.27, 2.60 × 10-2, 0.880 and 2.10 × 10-2 ng/kg BW/day for toddlers, respectively, indicating much higher exposure doses of LCMs indoors compared with the outdoors, and much higher doses for toddlers compared with adults (p < 0.05). These results reveal the potentially adverse effects of LCMs on vulnerable populations, such as toddlers, in indoor environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Li-Li Yao
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, Research Group of Emerging Contaminants, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, PR China
| | - Jun-Li Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, PR China
| | - Rong-Fa Xu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, Research Group of Emerging Contaminants, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, PR China
| | - Ming Zhu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, Research Group of Emerging Contaminants, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, PR China
| | - Yan Ma
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, Research Group of Emerging Contaminants, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, PR China
| | - Bin Tang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, Research Group of Emerging Contaminants, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, PR China.
| | - Qi-Yuan Lu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, Research Group of Emerging Contaminants, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, PR China
| | - Feng-Shan Cai
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, Research Group of Emerging Contaminants, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, PR China
| | - Xiao Yan
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, Research Group of Emerging Contaminants, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, PR China.
| | - Jing Zheng
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, Research Group of Emerging Contaminants, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, PR China
| | - Yun-Jiang Yu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, Research Group of Emerging Contaminants, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510655, PR China
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Zhan Y, Jin Q, Lin H, Tao D, Law LY, Sun J, He Y. Occurrence, behavior and fate of liquid crystal monomers in municipal wastewater. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 247:120784. [PMID: 37950950 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/13/2023]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs), the essential substances used in the display screen of electronic devices, have been proposed as a class of emerging chemicals of concern. Despite their detection in various environmental matrices, little is known about the presence of LCMs in municipal sewage systems. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence, distribution, and fate of 64 LCMs released into the aqueous environment from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Hong Kong, China. In total 14 LCMs were detected in WWTP samples. Specifically, the Σ14LCMs concentrations in crude influent, final effluent, and final sludge were found to be 16.8 ± 0.3 ng/L, 2.71 ± 0.05 ng/L, and 19.2 ± 1.0 ng/g dry weight, respectively. Among them, 10 fluorinated LCMs (F-LCMs) were determined to be present at concentrations of 8.90 ± 0.10 ng/L, 1.69 ± 0.05 ng/L, and 9.94 ± 1.00 ng/g dry weight, respectively. The predominant non-fluorinated LCMs (NF-LCMs) detected in all samples were 3OCB and EPhEMOB, while 2OdF3B was the dominant F-LCM. The overall removal rate of total LCMs was 83.8 ± 0.3 %, with 25.4 ± 4.8 % being removed by biodegradation and UV treatment. Compared to NF-LCMs, F-LCMs were more resistant to biodegradation. Despite the significant removal of LCMs through WWTP, the remaining LCMs in final effluent could result in an annual emission of 3.04 kg of total LCMs from the population of Hong Kong. This study provides the first evidence of LCMs contamination in municipal wastewater, possibly arising from routine electronic devices usage. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the potential impact of LCMs emission via WWTP effluent on the aquatic receiving ecosystem.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Zhan
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Qianqian Jin
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Huiju Lin
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Danyang Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Lok Yung Law
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jiaji Sun
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuhe He
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Ge J, Du B, Shen M, Feng Z, Zeng L. A review of liquid crystal monomers: Environmental occurrence, degradation, toxicity, and human exposure of an emerging class of E-waste pollutants. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 335:122267. [PMID: 37499966 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are a class of organic compounds with diphenyl or dicyclohexane as the skeleton structure, which are widely used in the manufacturing of liquid crystal displays. They are recognized as novel organic compounds with persistence, bioaccumulation, toxicity, and potential for long-range transport. LCMs are inevitably released into the environment throughout the life cycle of electronic products, and their presence has been found in various abiotic matrixes (air, dust, sediment, leachate, soil) and biotic matrixes (aquatic organisms, human serum, and human skin wipe). Given that studies on LCMs are still in their infancy, this review comprehensively summarizes the extensive literature data on LCMs and identifies key knowledge gaps and future research needs. The physicochemical properties, production, and usage of LCMs are described. Their environmental distribution, degradation, toxicity, and human exposure are also discussed based on the available data and results. Existing data show that LCMs have large-scale environmental pollution and may pose potential ecological and health risks, but it is still insufficient to accurately assess their risks due to the lack of knowledge on LCMs in many areas, such as global contamination trend, environmental behavior, toxic effects, and human exposure assessment. We believe that future studies of LCMs need to investigate LCMs pollution on a large geographic scale, explore their sources, behavior, and fate in the environment, and assess their potential health hazards to organisms and humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiali Ge
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China; Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China
| | - Bibai Du
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China; Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China
| | - Mingjie Shen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China; Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China
| | - Zhiqing Feng
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China; Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China
| | - Lixi Zeng
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China; Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Jin Q, Fan Y, Lu Y, Zhan Y, Sun J, Tao D, He Y. Liquid crystal monomers in ventilation and air conditioning dust: Indoor characteristics, sources analysis and toxicity assessment. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 180:108212. [PMID: 37738697 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
Indoor dust contaminated with liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) released from various commercial liquid crystal display (LCD) screens may pose environmental health risks to humans. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of 64 LCMs in ventilation and air conditioning filters (VACF) dust, characterize their composition profiles, potential sources, and associations with indoor characteristics, and assess their in vitro toxicity using the human lung bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B). A total of 31 LCMs with concentrations (ΣLCMs) ranging from 43.7 ng/g to 448 ng/g were detected in the collected VACF dust. Additional analysis revealed the potential interactions between indoor environmental conditions and human exposure risks associated with the detected LCMs in VACF dust. The service area and working time of the ventilation and air conditioning system, and the number of indoor LCD screens were positively correlated with the fluorinated ΣLCMs in VACF dust (r = 0.355 ∼ 0.511, p < 0.05), while the associations with the non-fluorinated ΣLCMs were not found (p > 0.05), suggesting different environmental behavior and fates of fluorinated and non-fluorinated LCMs in the indoor environment. Four main indoor sources of LCMs (i.e., computer (37.1%), television (28.3%), Brand A smartphone (21.2%) and Brand S smartphone (13.4%)) were identified by positive matrix factorization-multiple linear regression (PMF-MLR). Exposure to 14 relatively frequently detected LCMs, individually and in the mixture, induced significant oxidative stress in BEAS-2B cells. Among them, non-fluorinated LCMs, specifically 3cH2B and MeP3bcH, caused dominant decreased cell viability. This study provides new insights into the indoor LCMs pollution and the associated potential health risks due to the daily use of electronic devices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qianqian Jin
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Yinzheng Fan
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yichun Lu
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuting Zhan
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jiaji Sun
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Danyang Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuhe He
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Hou S, Liu Y, Chen T, Zhou D, Zhang M, Li Y, Bai Y, Zheng S, Yang S, Zhang G, Xu H. Tunable Fluorine-Functionalized Scholl-Coupled Microporous Polymer for the Selective Adsorption and Ultrasensitive Analysis of Environmental Liquid-Crystal Monomers. Anal Chem 2023. [PMID: 37433191 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c00182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-crystal monomers (LCMs), especially fluorinated biphenyls and analogues (FBAs), are identified to be an emerging generation of persistent organic pollutants. However, there is a dearth of information about their occurrence and distribution in environmental water and lacustrine soil samples. Herein, a series of fluorine-functionalized Scholl-coupled microporous polymers (FSMP-X, X = 1-3) were designed and synthesized for the highly efficient and selective enrichment of FABs. Their hydrophobicity, porosity, chemical stability, and adsorption performance (capacity, rate, and selectivity) were regulated preciously. The best-performing material (FSMP-2) was employed as the on-line fluorous solid-phase extraction (on-line FSPE) adsorbent owing to its high adsorption capacity (313.68 mg g-1), fast adsorption rate (1.05 g h-1), and specific selectivity for FBAs. Notably, an enrichment factor of up to 590.2 was obtained for FSMP-2, outperforming commercial C18 (12.6-fold). Also, the underlying adsorption mechanism was uncovered by density functional theory calculations and experiments. Based on this, a novel and automated on-line FSPE-high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for ultrasensitive (detection limits: 0.0004-0.0150 ng mL-1) and low matrix effect (73.79-113.3%) determination of LCMs in lake water and lacustrine soils. This study offers new insight into the highly selective quantification of LCMs and the first evidence for their occurrence and distribution in these environmental samples.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shenghuai Hou
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Tiantian Chen
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Dandan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Manlin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Yan Li
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Yuxuan Bai
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Shuang Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Shu Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Ganbing Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Hui Xu
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Jin Q, Yu J, Fan Y, Zhan Y, Tao D, Tang J, He Y. Release Behavior of Liquid Crystal Monomers from Waste Smartphone Screens: Occurrence, Distribution, and Mechanistic Modeling. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 37369363 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c09602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Liquid crystal display (LCD) screens can release many organic pollutants into the indoor environment, including liquid crystal monomers (LCMs), which have been proposed as a novel class of emerging pollutants. Knowing the release pathways and mechanisms of LCMs from various components of LCD screens is important to accurately assess the LCM release and reveal their environmental transport behavior and fate in the ambient environment. A total of 47, 43, and 33 out of 64 target LCMs were detected in three disassembled parts of waste smartphone screens, including the LCM layer (LL), light guide plate (LGP), and screen protector (SP), respectively. Correlation analysis confirmed LL was the source of LCMs detected in LGP and SP. The emission factors of LCMs from waste screen, SP, and LGP parts were estimated as 2.38 × 10-3, 1.36 × 10-3, and 1.02 × 10-3, respectively. A mechanism model was developed to describe the release behaviors of LCMs from waste screens, where three characteristics parameters of released LCMs, including average mass proportion (AP), predicted subcooled vapor pressures (PL), and octanol-air partitioning coefficients (Koa), involving coexistence of absorption and adsorption mechanisms, could control the diffusion-partitioning. The released LCMs in LGP could reach diffusion-partition equilibrium more quickly than those in SP, indicating that LCM release could be mainly governed through SP diffusions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qianqian Jin
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Jianxin Yu
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yinzheng Fan
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuting Zhan
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Danyang Tao
- Department of Chemistry and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jingchun Tang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Yuhe He
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Yang R, Wang X, Niu Y, Chen X, Shao B. Fluorinated liquid-crystal monomers in paired breast milk and indoor dust: A pilot prospective study. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 176:107993. [PMID: 37263127 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Fluorinated liquid-crystal monomers (FLCMs), one class of emerging persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) compounds, are widely used in liquid-crystal displays (LCDs). As a result, they have been found in the environment and serum from occupational workers. However, little is known about their occurrence in non-occupational exposing populations. Herein, we provided an evaluation of the health risks of FLCMs for infants based on breastfeeding exposure and dust ingestion. The detection frequencies (DF) of FLCMs in indoor dust and breast milk was 100 %, with median concentrations of 12.00 ng/g dry weight (dw) and 133.40 ng/g lipid weight (lw), respectively. 1-butoxy-2,3-difluoro-4-(trans-4-propylcyclohexyl)benzene (BDPrB) was the predominant pollutant in indoor dust and human breast milk. Significant positive correlations were observed between the dust concentrations of seven FLCMs including BDPrB, and their breast milk concentrations (r = 0.275-0.660, P < 0.05). Further, associations were also found in some demographic and behavioral factors and concentrations of some FLCMs (P < 0.05). The highest EDI of ∑FLCMs was observed for infants who were < 1 month of age, with a median breast milk intake of 700.35 ng/kg bw/day, in which 1-ethoxy-2,3-difluoro-4-(trans-4-propylcyclohexyl)benzene (EDPrB), BDPrB, and 4'-[(trans, trans)-4'-butyl[1,1'-bicyclohexyl]-4-yl]-3,4-difluoro-1,1'-biphenyl (BBDB) collectively contributed 94.4 % of the total EDIs. Notably, the lactational intake of FLCMs was higher than that of some environmental pollutants (EPs). Overall, our results suggest higher exposure risks for infants and breastfeeding is the predominant exposure route for daily intake of FLCMs for infants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Runhui Yang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xinyi Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Traceability Technologies for Food Poisoning, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China
| | - Yumin Niu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Traceability Technologies for Food Poisoning, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China
| | - Xianggui Chen
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, China
| | - Bing Shao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Traceability Technologies for Food Poisoning, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China; School of Food and Biological Engineering, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, China.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Kong Y, Wen Y, Su G, Peng Y, Cui X. Tissue-specific uptake and distribution of liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) in mice. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 174:107894. [PMID: 37003217 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Increasing evidence indicated that liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) in liquid crystal displays can be released into the environment, and ubiquitously detected in environmental matrices and even human bodies. Yet databases regarding its uptake and distribution in mammals are lacking. In this study, four LCMs (namely 3dFB, 2OdF3B, 2teFT, and 6OCB) with various physiochemical properties and structures were selected as the target compounds. The LCMs were in vivo and in vitro exposed to mice and rat liver microsomes (RLM). LCMs were found in all mouse tissues, including brain. Pharmacokinetics parameters, Cmax-tissue/Cmax-blood, ranged from 27.5 to 214, indicating the preferential deposition of LCMs to tissues rather than blood. The LCMs distributed preferentially to lipophilic tissues, and relative mass contribution of LCMs from liver and adipose was 43-98 %. The physicochemical properties (i.e., Kow, molecular weight, and functional groups) had pronounced effect on distribution and accumulation of LCMs. The 2teFT with the highest Kow and molecular weight showed the relatively higher accumulation potential and half elimination time in all the tissues. The 6OCB containing cyano-group was more accumulative than the fluorinated 3dFB with the comparable Kow. In RLM assays, 2teFT and 6OCB were resistant to metabolic degradation. While 3dFB and 2OdF3B underwent rapid degradation with 93.7 % and 72.4 % being metabolized at 360 min. Findings in this study bear significant implications for the biomonitoring and overall risk evaluation of LCMs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yong Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Guanyong Su
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
| | - Ying Peng
- Key Lab of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Xinyi Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Zhao H, Li C, Naik MY, Wu J, Cardilla A, Liu M, Zhao F, Snyder SA, Xia Y, Su G, Fang M. Liquid Crystal Monomer: A Potential PPARγ Antagonist. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:3758-3771. [PMID: 36815762 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c08109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are a large family of artificial ingredients that have been widely used in global liquid crystal display (LCD) industries. As a major constituent in LCDs as well as the end products of e-waste dismantling, LCMs are of growing research interest with regard to their environmental occurrences and biochemical consequences. Many studies have analyzed LCMs in multiple environmental matrices, yet limited research has investigated the toxic effects upon exposure to them. In this study, we combined in silico simulation and in vitro assay validation along with omics integration analysis to achieve a comprehensive toxicity elucidation as well as a systematic mechanism interpretation of LCMs for the first time. Briefly, the high-throughput virtual screen and reporter gene assay revealed that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) was significantly antagonized by certain LCMs. Besides, LCMs induced global metabolome and transcriptome dysregulation in HK2 cells. Notably, fatty acid β-oxidation was conspicuously dysregulated, which might be mediated through multiple pathways (IL-17, TNF, and NF-kB), whereas the activation of AMPK and ligand-dependent PPARγ antagonism may play particularly important parts. This study illustrated LCMs as a potential PPARγ antagonist and explored their toxicological mode of action on the trans-omics level, which provided an insightful overview in future chemical risk assessment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haoduo Zhao
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 639798 Singapore
- Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 637141 Singapore
| | - Caixia Li
- Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 637141 Singapore
| | - Mihir Yogesh Naik
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 308232 Singapore
| | - Jia Wu
- School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
| | - Angelysia Cardilla
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 308232 Singapore
| | - Min Liu
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 639798 Singapore
- Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 637141 Singapore
| | - Fanrong Zhao
- Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 637141 Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 308232 Singapore
| | - Shane Allen Snyder
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 639798 Singapore
- Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 637141 Singapore
| | - Yun Xia
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 308232 Singapore
| | - Guanyong Su
- School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
| | - Mingliang Fang
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 639798 Singapore
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Jin Q, Zhan Y, Tao D, Wang T, Khim JS, He Y. Removing emerging e-waste pollutant DTFPB by synchronized oxidation-adsorption Fenton technology. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 445:130587. [PMID: 37055950 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs), an emerging group of organic pollutants related to electronic waste, have been frequently detected from various environmental matrices, including landfill leachate. The persistence of LCMs requires robust technology for remediation. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the feasibility, performance and mechanism of the remediation of a typical LCM 4-[difluoro(3,4,5-trifluorophenoxy)methyl]- 3,5-difluoro-4'-propylbiphenyl (DTFPB) via synchronized oxidation-adsorption (SOA) Fenton technology and verify its application in DTFPB-contaminated leachate. The SOA Fenton system could effectively degrade 93.5% of DTFPB and 5.6% of its total organic carbon (TOCDTFPB) by hydroxyl radical oxidation (molar ratio of Fe2+ to H2O2 of 1/4 and pH 2.5-3.0) following a pseudo-first-order model under 0.378 h-1. Additionally, synchronized adsorption of DTFPB and its degradation intermediates by in situ resultant ferric particles via hydrophobic interaction, complexation, and coprecipitation contributed to almost 100% of DTFPB and 33.4% of TOCDTFPB removal. Three possible degradation pathways involving eight products were proposed, and hydrophobic interactions might drive the adsorption process. It was first confirmed that the SOA Fenton system exhibited good performance in eliminating DTFPB and byproducts from landfill leachate. This study provides new insights into the potential of the Fenton process for the treatment of emerging LCMs contamination in wastewater.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qianqian Jin
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuting Zhan
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Danyang Tao
- Department of Chemistry and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Tieyu Wang
- Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China
| | - Jong Seong Khim
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences & Research Institute of Oceanography, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Yuhe He
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Wang X, Yang R, Zhang J, Chen X, Feng Y, Niu Y, Shao B. Metabolic profiling of the fluorinated liquid-crystal monomer 1-ethoxy-2,3-difluoro-4-(trans-4-propylcyclohexyl)benzene. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 860:160448. [PMID: 36442634 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
1-Ethoxy-2,3-difluoro-4-(trans-4-propylcyclohexyl)benzene (EDPrB) is a typical fluorinated liquid-crystal monomer (LCM). LCMs contaminants are becoming increasingly concerning due to their potential persistence, bioaccumulation, toxicity, and broad prevalence in environmental and human samples. However, LCM metabolism is poorly understood. Herein, by introducing selected EDPrB into the appropriate liver microsomes in vitro, we examined the metabolic pathways of LCM in humans, rats, pigs, Cyprinus carpio, crucian carp, and Channa argus. A total of 20 species-dependent metabolites were identified and structurally elucidated by gas and liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry for the first time. Dealkylation, H-abstraction, and hydroxylation reactions are the primary metabolic pathways. Half of these in vitro metabolites were found in the urine, serum, and fecal samples of Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to EDPrB. Toxicity predictions indicate that 17 metabolites can be classified as toxic. According to the Ecological Structure Activity Relationships (ECOSAR), a number of metabolites exhibit equivalent or greater aquatic toxicity to that of EDPrB. Toxicity Estimation Software Tool (T.E.S.T.) predicts that some metabolites exhibit developmental toxicity and mutagenicity in rats. These findings suggest that biotransformation should be particularly emphasized, and more toxicological and monitoring studies should be performed to assess the ecological and human safety of LCMs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Wang
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Traceability Technologies for Food Poisoning, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China
| | - Runhui Yang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Traceability Technologies for Food Poisoning, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China
| | - Xianggui Chen
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, China
| | - Ying Feng
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Traceability Technologies for Food Poisoning, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China
| | - Yumin Niu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Traceability Technologies for Food Poisoning, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China.
| | - Bing Shao
- School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Traceability Technologies for Food Poisoning, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China; College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; School of Food and Biological Engineering, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, China
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Bao Y, Zhu M, Su G. Tissue-specific accumulation, bioaccumulation, and depuration of liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 859:160267. [PMID: 36402331 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the properties of bioaccumulation, tissue-specific accumulation, and depuration of liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to a mixture of 39 LCMs for 19 days followed by depuration for 12 days. Tissue-specific accumulation of LCMs was examined at the time point of day 19, and we observed that the distribution of LCMs varied among different tissues with the following order of Σ39LCM concentrations, the intestine > brain > gill > liver > muscle. We also observed that the bioaccumulation potential of LCMs varied among LCM groups with different functional groups, and LCMs with the cyan group were prone to accumulate in zebrafish. Among the 39 target LCMs, nine exhibited bioconcentration factors (BCFs) >1000, indicating their great bioaccumulation potential in aquatic environments. The experimental BCFs of 22 LCMs in the present study were lower than the theoretical values predicted by the Estimation Programs Interface (EPI) Suite software developed by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), suggesting that their bioaccumulation potential might be overestimated by theoretical estimation techniques. Another interesting finding was the significant positive correlation relationship in both sexes of zebrafish (p < 0.01, r2 = 0.66 for male; p < 0.01, r2 = 0.41 for female) between logBCFww and logKow values of LCMs. Overall, this study provides fundamental information regarding the bioaccumulation potentials of LCMs, which could be helpful for further investigating the health risks of LCMs in aquatic environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yurong Bao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Research Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ming Zhu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Research Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guanyong Su
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Research Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Zhong Y, Ren J, Li R, Xuan Y, Yao W, Yang Q, Gan Y, Yu S, Yuan J. Prediction of the Endocrine disruption profile of fluorinated biphenyls and analogues: An in silico study. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 314:137701. [PMID: 36587920 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Fluorinated biphenyls and their analogues (FBAs) are considered new persistent organic pollutants, but their endocrine-disrupting effects are still unknown. To fill this gap, the binding probability of 44 FBAs to different nuclear hormone receptors (NHRs) was predicted using Endocrine Disruptome. And molecular similarity and network toxicology analysis were used to strengthen the docking screening. The docking results showed that FBAs could have high binding potential for various NHRs, such as estrogen receptors β antagonism (ERβ an), liver X receptors α (LXRα), estrogen receptors α (ERα), and liver X receptors β (LXRβ). The similarity analysis found that the degree of overlap of the NHR repertoire was related to the Tanimoto coefficient of FBAs. Network toxicology verified a part of docking screening results and identified endocrine-disrupting pathways worthy of attention. This study found out potential endocrine-disrupting FBAs and their vulnerable, and developed a workflow that would leverage in silico approaches including molecular docking, similarity, and network toxicology for risk prioritization of potential endocrine-disrupting compounds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuyan Zhong
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
| | - Jing Ren
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
| | - Rui Li
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
| | - Yuxin Xuan
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
| | - Wu Yao
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
| | - Qianye Yang
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China
| | - Yin Gan
- Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine and Immune-Engineering of Henan Province, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, PR China
| | - Shuling Yu
- Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine and Immune-Engineering of Henan Province, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, PR China.
| | - Jintao Yuan
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Li R, Ren K, Su H, Wei Y, Su G. Target and suspect analysis of liquid crystal monomers in soil from different urban functional zones. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 854:158408. [PMID: 36057313 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have reported the occurrence of liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) in sediment, indoor dust, hand wipes, and human serum samples; however, information regarding their contamination status in soil is currently unavailable. The concentrations of 39 target LCMs were determined in n = 96 surface soil samples collected from five different urban functional zones including agricultural, scenic, industrial, commercial, and residential zones. We observed that 76 of 96 surface soil samples contained at least 19, 13, 16, 19, and 14 of the 39 target LCMs that were detectable in samples from agricultural, scenic, industrial, commercial, and residential zones, respectively. The LCMs in the samples from the agricultural zone exhibited the highest mean concentrations of 12.9 ng/g dry weight (dw), followed by those from commercial (5.23 ng/g dw), residential (3.30 ng/g dw), industrial (2.48 ng/g dw), and scenic zones (0.774 ng/g dw). Furthermore, strong and statistically significant (p < 0.05) correlations were observed for several pairs of LCMs (3cH2B vs. 5bcHdFB in the agricultural zone; 5bcHdFB vs. 2bcHdFB, 5bcHdFB vs. 3cH2B in the commercial zone; 5bcHdFB vs. 2bcHdFB in the industrial zone), indicating that they might have similar commercial applications and sources. Based on a newly established database containing 1173 LCMs, suspect screening was applied to discover other LCMs in these 96 soil samples using gas chromatograph coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-QTOF/MS). We tentatively identified 51 LCM formulas with 69 chemical structures. Collectively, this study provides the first evidence for the occurrence of LCMs in soil samples, and suggests that LCMs could be widely distributed across all five urban functional zones.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rongrong Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, PR China
| | - Kefan Ren
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, PR China
| | - Huijun Su
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, PR China
| | - Yu Wei
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, PR China
| | - Guanyong Su
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Li Y, Zhang T, Cheng Z, Zhang Q, Yang M, Zhao L, Zhang S, Lu Y, Sun H, Wang L. Direct evidence on occurrence of emerging liquid crystal monomers in human serum from E-waste dismantling workers: Implication for intake assessment. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 169:107535. [PMID: 36152360 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are widely used chemicals and ubiquitous emerging organic pollutants in the environment, some of which have persistent, bio-accumulative, and toxic potentials. Elevated levels of LCMs have been found in the e-waste dismantling associated areas. However, information on their internal exposure bio-monitoring is scarce. For the first time, occurrences of LCMs were observed in the serum samples of occupational workers (n = 85) from an e-waste dismantling area in South China. Twenty-nine LCMs were detected in serum samples of the workers, with a median value of 35.2 ng/mL (range: 7.78-276 ng/mL). Eight noticed LCMs were found to have relatively high detection frequencies ranging from 52.9% to 96.5%. The correlation analysis of individual LCMs indicated potential common applications and similar sources to the LCMs in occupational workers. Fluorinated LCMs were identified as the predominant monomers in the workers. Additionally, the estimated daily intake of the LCMs in the occupational workers was significantly higher than those in residents from the reference areas (p < 0.05, Mann-Whitney U Test, median values: 1.46 ng/kg bw/day versus 0.40 ng/kg bw/day), indicating a substantially higher exposure level to e-waste dismantling workers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuhe Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Tao Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, 135 Xingang West Street, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Zhipeng Cheng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China.
| | - Qianru Zhang
- Institute of Agriculture Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
| | - Ming Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Leicheng Zhao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Shaohan Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Yuan Lu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Hongwen Sun
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Lei Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Tao D, Jin Q, Ruan Y, Zhang K, Jin L, Zhan Y, Su G, Wu J, Leung KMY, Lam PKS, He Y. Widespread occurrence of emerging E-waste contaminants - Liquid crystal monomers in sediments of the Pearl River Estuary, China. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 437:129377. [PMID: 35738172 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs), commonly used in screens of electronic devices, have recently been identified as a group of emerging chemicals of concern associated with e-waste. They are potentially persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances, and may pose a threat to the marine ecosystem. The Pearl River Estuary (PRE) receives organic contaminants discharged from the Pearl River Delta region, where primitive handling of e-waste is widespread. However, information on the pollution status of LCMs in the PRE is absent. Herein, a rapid and robust analytical method was established using ultrasonic extraction, solid phase extraction cleanup, and GC-Orbitrap-MS analysis. The spatial distribution of 39 target LCMs was investigated in 45 surface sediment samples from the PRE. Ten LCMs were detected, with ΣLCMs ranged from 0.9 to 31.1 ng/g dry weight. Our results demonstrated a widespread occurrence of LCMs in the sediments of the PRE, and a gradient of their contamination from inshore to offshore regions, indicating land-based origins. Our reported ΣLCMs concentrations were relatively higher compared to many other legacy and emerging pollutants found in the same investigated area. Preliminary risk assessment showed 3VbcH, Pe3bcH and tFMeO-3bcHP might be the top 3 risk contributors in the PRE. Further investigation on the ecological impact of LCMs on marine benthic ecosystems, as well as identification of their sources and control measures are warranted.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Danyang Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Qianqian Jin
- Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China; School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuefei Ruan
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Kai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China; National Observation and Research Station of Coastal Ecological Environments in Macao, Macao Environmental Research Institute, Macau University of Science and Technology, 999078, Macao Special Adminstrative Region of China
| | - Linjie Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuting Zhan
- School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Guanyong Su
- School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
| | - Jiaxue Wu
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
| | - Kenneth M Y Leung
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Paul K S Lam
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China; Office of the President, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuhe He
- Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China; School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Preparation of Polyphenylene Ring Derivative Dyes with Wide Wave Absorption Properties and Their Performance Study. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27175551. [PMID: 36080315 PMCID: PMC9458254 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27175551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Some conjugated benzene ring molecules were prepared using the Sonogashira reaction, and the molecules were post-functionally modified using click chemistry. The optical and electrical band gaps were measured using UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy and the three-electrode method, and the results of both were verified against each other to prove the accuracy of the characterization. In addition, the optical performances of the material were studied by z-scan; almost all materials exhibited good nonlinear optical properties and interconversion between saturable and anti-saturable absorption due to the invocation of click reagents.
Collapse
|
37
|
Shen M, Feng Z, Liang X, Chen H, Zhu C, Du B, Li Q, Zeng L. Release and Gas-Particle Partitioning Behavior of Liquid Crystal Monomers during the Dismantling of Waste Liquid Crystal Display Panels in E-Waste Recycling Facilities. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:3106-3116. [PMID: 35147034 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c07394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are a class of emerging chemical pollutants; however, their release and gas-particle partitioning remain unknown. This study performed the first comprehensive analysis of a wide range of 93 LCMs in the ambient air of liquid crystal display (LCD) dismantling facilities. A total of 53 of the 93 target LCMs were detected in the air samples. The total atmospheric concentrations (gas and particles) of LCMs (∑LCMs) ranged from 68,800 to 385,000 (median of 204,000) pg/m3. Most LCMs were predominant in the gas phase, implying that their atmospheric transport would be mainly governed by gas rather than particle diffusions. Differential distribution patterns of the LCMs were observed due to their different atmospheric partitioning behaviors. Significant linear correlations were found between the gas-particle partitioning coefficients (KP) and the predicted subcooled vapor pressures (PL) and octanol-air partitioning coefficients (Koa) (p < 0.01). Compared with two equilibrium-state models, the experimentally observed particulate fractions (ϕ) fit better with the predicted values based on the Li-Ma-Yang (L-M-Y) steady-state model, and Koa was identified as a key factor determining the atmospheric fate pathways of LCMs. Our study highlights another new class of chemicals significantly contributing to the chemical mixture in the ambient air at e-waste recycling areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mingjie Shen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Zhiqing Feng
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Xinxin Liang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Hui Chen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Chunyou Zhu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Bibai Du
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Quan Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Lixi Zeng
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environment, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Cheng Z, Shi Q, Wang Y, Zhao L, Li X, Sun Z, Lu Y, Liu N, Su G, Wang L, Sun H. Electronic-Waste-Driven Pollution of Liquid Crystal Monomers: Environmental Occurrence and Human Exposure in Recycling Industrial Parks. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:2248-2257. [PMID: 35107275 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c04621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) in liquid crystal displays (LCDs) may be released into the environment, especially in electronic waste (e-waste) recycling industrial parks with a high pollution risk. However, little has been known about the environmental release and human exposure to LCMs until now. Herein, a total of 45 LCMs were detected in LCDs of commonly used smartphones and computers by high-resolution mass spectrometry with suspect screening analysis. Fluorinated biphenyls and their analogs were the dominant LCMs. Based on available standards of the screening results and previous studies, 55 LCMs were quantified in samples from an e-waste recycling industrial park in Central China. The LCMs were frequently detected in outdoor dust (n = 43), workshop #1 indoor dust (n = 53), and hand (n = 43) and forehead wipes (n = 43), with median concentrations of 6950 ng/g, 67,400 ng/g, 46,100 ng/m2, and 62,100 ng/m2, respectively. The median estimated daily intake values of the LCMs via dust ingestion and dermal absorption were 48.3 and 16.5 ng/kg body weight/day, respectively, indicating a high occupational exposure risk of these compounds. In addition, 16 LCMs were detected in the serum of eight elderly people (≥60 years old) with over 5 years of experience in e-waste dismantling operations, resulting in a total concentration range of 3.9-26.3 ng/mL.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhipeng Cheng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Qingyang Shi
- Department of Environmental Science, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Yu Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Leicheng Zhao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Zhaoyang Sun
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Yuan Lu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Na Liu
- Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Guanyong Su
- School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lei Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Hongwen Sun
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| |
Collapse
|