UV aged epoxy coatings - Ecotoxicological effects and released compounds

Organic coatings can guarantee long-term protection of steel structures due to causing a physical barrier against water and oxygen. Because of their mechanical properties and resistances to heat and chemicals, epoxy resin-based coatings are widely used for corrosion protection. Despite of the aromatic backbone and the resulting susceptibility to UV degradation, epoxy resins are frequently used as binding agent in top layers of anti-corrosion coating systems. Consequently, these organic polymers are directly exposed to sunlight and thus UV radiation. The present study was designed to investigate if toxic effects of epoxy resin-based-coatings are changed by UV-A irradiation. For this purpose, two epoxide-based top coatings were examined with and without UV aging for their bacterial toxicity and estrogenicity. In addition, chemical analyses were performed to identify released compounds as well as photolytic degradation products and to assign toxic effects to individual substances. UV-A irradiation of epoxy resin based top coatings resulted in an overall decrease of acute and specific ecotoxicological effects but as well to the formation of toxic transformation products. Both, in leachates of untreated and UV-A irradiated coatings, 4tBP was identified as the main driver of estrogenicity and toxicity to luminescent bacteria. BPA and structural analogs contributing to estrogenic effects in leachates were formed by UV-A irradiation. The combination of HPTLC coupled bioassays and LC-MS analyses supported the identification of bioactive compounds in terms of an effect-directed analysis. The present findings indicate that epoxide-based coatings are less suitable for the application as top coatings and more UV stable coatings like aliphatic polyurethanes should be preferred.

In Vitro Metabolism of Five Bisphenol A Analogs Studied by LC-HRMS/MS

Bisphenol A (BPA) structural analogs are increasingly used as alternatives in many industrial applications, due to growing evidence of BPA-related toxicity. Despite their widespread use, little is known about the biotransformation of these BPA analogs in the body. In this study, the in vitro metabolism of five BPA analogs (bisphenol AF, bisphenol F, bisphenol S, cumylphenol, and tetramethylbisphenol F) were investigated, using human and rat liver fractions, to evaluate the formation of phase I and phase II metabolites. Liquid chromatography high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry was employed to separate and characterize over 50 metabolites, many of which were not previously reported. The structures of all detected oxidative metabolites, dimers, GSH adducts, glucuronide, and sulfate conjugates were elucidated. A biphenyl solid-core chromatographic column was utilized for the separation of all metabolites, with a subsequent method, on a F5 column, specifically optimized for the separation of dimers formed via oxidative metabolism. There are several examples in this work where the combination of high chromatographic resolution and tandem mass spectrometry were necessary to distinguish between isomeric metabolites and conjugates.

Removal of Bisphenol A and Its Potential Substitutes by Biodegradation

The possibility of removing bisphenol A and its five potential substitutes (bisphenols S, F, AF, E, and B) was tested using microorganism consortia from river water and activated sludge from municipal and rural wastewater treatment plants. For most bisphenols, biodegradation with activated sludge was faster than with river water and a greater extent of biodegradation was also achieved. However, only bisphenol A and bisphenol F underwent 100% primary biodegradation while other bisphenols degraded no more than about 50% which has some important implications in case of their increased usage. Metabolic activity in biodegradation liquors was also tested and it showed higher activity in the tests with activated sludge than with river water. However, there was no clear connection between the decline of metabolic activity and the extent of biodegradation as decreased activity was observed for two easily degrading bisphenols and two others with little biodegradability. It can be assumed that two different phenomena are involved in this process including depletion of nutrients for easily degradable bisphenol A and absence of nutrients for bacteria incapable of primary degradation of bisphenol AF and bisphenol S.