[Fate and Toxicity of UV Filters in Marine Environments].

UV filters have been widely used in sunscreen products, and they have partially ended up in the marine environment via human recreational activities and sewage treatment plant drainage, becoming one of the emerging marine pollutants. As UV filters have many characteristics, such as extensive use, continuous emissions, and stability, their potential risks to the environment and ecology have become a hot topic in the field of environmental research all over the world. This study analyzed the environmental behavior of UV filters in the ocean, such as migration, transformation, and volatilization. The toxic effects (i. e., growth inhibition, reproductive inhibition, death, and malformation) of the inorganic (mainly nano-TiO2 and nano-ZnO) and organic UV filters (mainly benzophenones, camphor derivatives, and cinnamic acids) on marine organisms (i. e., algae, seashell, fish, coral, and sea urchin) were summarized. The research also analyzed the inherent toxicity mechanisms from the perspective of oxidative damage, neurotoxicity, and endocrine disability. The prospect and future directions in this field were also discussed. This review provides a reference for scientific research and pollution control related to UV filters.

[Distribution patterns and pollution assessments of heavy metals in the Spartina alterniflora salt-marsh wetland of Rudong, Jiangsu province].

To understand the ecological impact of Spartina alterniflora on the coastal wetland environment, field survey was carried out in July, 2010, over the intertidal areas of Rudong coast, Jiangsu province; sediment samples were collected from a series of stations with different conditions of vegetation cover and S. alterniflora growth. The contents of eight heavy metals, together with sediment composition and total organic carbon were analyzed to reveal the distribution patterns of the heavy metals. Environmental quality status was evaluated using both the index of geoaccumulation (I(geo)) and the index of the Håkanson ecological risk. The analytical results showed that the average contents of Pb, Cd, As, Hg, Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn were below the standard for the Category I sediment quality, among which Cd, Hg, Ni and Zn exceeded the sediment background value of the region. On the whole, the contents of eight heavy metals in vegetation areas were higher than those associated with the adjacent bare flat areas. These data sets indicate a non-polluted condition in term of I(geo) estimation; however, a critical state of low to moderate degrees of pollution and a low level of risk were deduced according to the index of the Håkanson potential ecological risk. Both indices suggested that the pollution level of Hg and Cd were the highest among the eight metals measured. Along the transection from seaward to landward, the contents of As, Cu and Hg, their indices of I(geo) and Håkanson ecological risk all showed an increasing tread, in accordance with the condition of vegetation cover. Along the coastline with S. alterniflora being distributed in patchiness, all metal contents and their ecological risk level values for the marshes were higher than those for the unvegetated sediments nearby; moreover, except for Hg, other seven metals exhibited relatively low values than those in the shore-normal section with a better S. alterniflora growth. These findings indicate that S. alterniflora is one of important factors to enrich the heavy metal in tidal flat sediment. Thus, ecological risk of the heavy metal is reduced or blocked, due to the filtering effect of salt-marsh, which prevents metals from entering the open sea directly. The distribution of heavy metal is influenced by a combination of colonization time of vegetation, chemical form of metals and their origins.

[Distribution patterns of heavy metals in surficial sediment and their influence on the environment quality of the intertidal flat of Luoyuan Bay, Fujian coast].

Intertidal flats represent a typical environmentally fragile and sensitive zone. In order to investigate the environmental quality of the intertidal zone in Luoyuan Bay, field survey was carried out in 2009. Contents of heavy metals (Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) in the surficial sediment were measured using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). Moreover, the impact on the environment quality was evaluated with the potential ecological risk method. The average contents of the heavy metals Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V and Zn in the surficial sediment were 20.48, 77.82, 23.24, 40.67, 36.25, 134.75 and 111.21 mg x kg(-1), respectively. The heavy metal contents in the Spartina alterniflora salt-marsh were apparently higher than those in the bare flat. Further, the heavy metal concentrations found in the present study were generally higher than the background values of the coastal regions of Fujian Province, but lower than those associated with the Pearl River estuary. According to principal component and correlation analyses, industrial wastewater, mineral exploration and degradation of organic matter were the main sources of heavy metals in the area investigated. The results of potential ecological risk evaluation indicated that the intertidal zone as a whole can be ranked as "moderate potential ecological risk". Ni and Co were the major pollutants among the metals in consideration; the pollution related to Pb was less significant. The level of potential ecological risk of the Spartina alterniflora slat-marsh was higher than that of the bare flat. The sequence of potential ecological risk for the heavy metals was Ni > Co > Cu > Pb > Cr > V > Zn.