Benzotriazole UV stabilizers (BUVs) as an emerging contaminant of concern: a review

Benzotriazole UV stabilizers (BUVs) are a group of industrial chemicals used in various consumer products and industrial applications. Due to its large-scale production and use, BUVs have been detected in all environmental matrices. Humans are exposed to BUVs from environmental media, food, personal care products (PCPs), and consumer products. As a result, BUVs are detected in human breast milk, attracting researchers and regulatory bodies worldwide. BUVs such as UV-328 exhibit the characteristics of persistent organic pollutants (POPs); hence, it has been recently listed under Stockholm Convention POP list. The current review focuses on the occurrence of BUVs in the environment with emphasis on persistency, bioaccumulation, and toxicity (PBT). Scarcity of scientific data on BUVs' properties, environmental occurrence, exposure levels, and effects on organisms poses significant challenges to the policymakers and regulatory bodies in adopting management strategies. The need for a science-based integrated framework for risk assessment and management of BUVs is recommended. Considering the potential threat of BUVs to human health and the environment, it is recommended that BUVs should be taken as a subject of priority research. Studies on the degradation and transformation route of BUVs need to be explored for the sound management of BUVs.

Occurrence, spatio-temporal variation and ecological risk assessment of benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizers (BUVs) in water and sediment of rivers in central India

Occurrence of benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizers (BUVs) in different environmental matrices has attracted researchers and regulatory agencies worldwide due to its persistency, bioaccumulative and toxic properties. Environmental occurrence of BUVs in Indian freshwater is lacking. The present study analyzed six targeted BUVs in surface water and sediments of three rivers of Central India. BUVs were determined in pre- and post-monsoon seasons to reveal their concentration, spatio-temporal distribution and probable ecological risks. Results indicated that total concentration of BUVs (ƩBUVs) ranged from ND to 42.88 μg/L in water, and ND to 165.26 ng/g in sediments with UV-329 as the predominant BUV in surface water and sediments during pre- and post-monsoon seasons. Surface water samples from Pili River, and sediment of Nag River accounted for maximum BUVs concentration. Partitioning coefficient results confirmed the effective transfer of BUVs from overlaying water to sediments. The observed concentration of BUVs in water and sediments posed low ecological risk to planktons. Untreated municipal discharges and poor waste management practices including dumping of wastes might be the sources of BUVs in water bodies.