Anorganic and organic UV filters are one of the main ingredients in sunscreens due to their abillity of protection against ultraviolet light by absorbing, reflecting or scattering the rays. UV filters exhibit toxic potential, in particular organic UV filters, which are known endocrine disruptors, but often also exert toxicity to the aquatic environment. The increasing exposure is a direct result of the awareness-raising about the use of sunscreen products. In this thesis, we have used in silico tools to generate an ecotoxicological profile for five organic UV filters that are among the most common in the environment; benzophenone-3, ethylhexylmethoxycinnamate, octocrylene, avobenzone and 4-methylbenzylidene camphor. Computer models were used to estimate their biodegradability, bioaccumulation, sediment persistency and to predict LC50 values for different aquatic organisms. The estimated values were then compared with literature data and the Ecotox database. The predictions showed that the evaluated UV filters are not easily biodegradable and their hydrophobic properties indicate persistancy in sediment rather than in the aqueous phase. In addition, the predictions showed the ability of UV filters to bioaccumulate in the tissues of aquatic organisms, with potential for biomagnification. The LC50 predictions also suggest an inverse linear correlation between the mean lethal concentration value and the hydrophobicity of the compound – the more hydrophobic the compound, the lower its LC50. After comparing the predictions with databases and literature sources, we can conclude that the studied UV filters pose a risk to the aquatic environment due to their physicochemical properties, which incidentally led to the ban of particular UV filters in some countries. Common methods for evaluating toxicity are often not able to reveal potential ecotoxicity of UV filters. Therefore, in the future it would be useful if standardised analytical methods for evaluating the toxicity of UV filters and harmonized risk assessment were developed, which could facilitate development of international certificates for environmentally friendly sunscreen products.
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