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

Suny College Of Environmental Science And Forestry, Syracuse NY

Investigators

Abstract

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.