Collaborative Research: CAS: Environmentally Relevant Photoproducts of Organic UV Filters in Commercial Sunscreens

在化学系环境化学科学项目的支持下，马里兰大学环境科学中心（UMCES）的Michael Gonsior、Carys Mitchelmore、Andrew Heyes和他们的团队，以及纽约州立大学环境科学与林业学院的Leanne Powers和她的团队，将研究商业防晒霜和其他含有紫外线过滤器的户外产品的光降解产物。这些化合物可以保护人和材料免受阳光的伤害，但它们的环境命运和风险在很大程度上是未知的。该项目将评估紫外线过滤器暴露在阳光下时的变化，因为这些光化学反应是降解这些化学物质的主要途径，进而影响其环境持久性、生物蓄积性和对水生生物的毒性。还将评估它们与水处理（饮用水和废水）中使用的消毒剂的反应。一名研究生将在UMCES获得资助，本科生将通过纽约中部路易斯·斯托克斯少数民族参与联盟和UMCES本科生研究（REU）项目招收。与卡尔弗特县教育科学委员会协调员和教师协调，计划举办一次夏季教师讲习班；可访问的网络内容也将通过学生教育视频制作。本项目旨在确定最常见的有机紫外滤光剂的光降解动力学和光产物。一个定制设计的光降解系统将被实施，以允许高度可重复的实验，这避免了以前的缺点。这些芳香紫外线过滤器也被怀疑在用氯处理后会形成消毒副产物（DBPs）。在海水和淡水环境中产生的光产物和dbp将使用现代质谱方法进行结构分析。该项目的结果有望帮助科学家估计有机紫外线过滤器的环境寿命，其可疑的DBP形成和光降解产物，并允许评估光化学和氯消毒在减少或增加这些化合物对水生生物的环境风险方面的作用。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With support from the Environmental Chemical Sciences Program in the Division of Chemistry, Michael Gonsior, Carys Mitchelmore, Andrew Heyes and their team at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) and Leanne Powers and her team at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry will study the photo-degradation products of commercial sunscreens and other outdoor products that contain ultraviolet (UV) filters. These compounds protect both people and materials from sun damage, but their environmental fate and risk are largely unknown. This project will evaluate changes in UV filters when exposed to sunlight, because these photochemical reactions are major pathways to degrade these chemicals, which in turn influences their environmental persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity to aquatic organisms. Their reaction with disinfectants used in water treatment (potable water and wastewater) will also be evaluated. A graduate student will be supported at UMCES, and undergraduate students will be recruited through the Central New York Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation and the research for undergraduate (REU) program at UMCES. A summertime workshop for teachers is planned in coordination with the Calvert County Board of Education Science coordinators and teachers; accessible web content will also be produced through student educational videos.This project aims to determine the photodegradation kinetics as well as the photoproducts of the most common organic UV filters. A custom-designed photodegradation system will be implemented to allow for highly reproducible experiments, which avoids previous shortcomings. These aromatic UV filters are also suspected to form disinfection by-products (DBPs) upon treatment with chlorine. The photoproducts and DBPs produced in seawater and freshwater settings will be structurally elucidated using modern mass spectrometry approaches. Results from this project are expected to help scientists to estimate the environmental lifetimes of organic UV filters, their suspected DBP formation and photodegradation products, as well as allow for an evaluation of the role of photochemistry and chlorine disinfection in decreasing or increasing the environmental risk of these compounds to aquatic organisms.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.