Organic ultraviolet filters (UVFs; also known as sunscreen agents) used in personal care and consumer products can enter the aquatic environment via wastewater treatment plant effluents or by loss from skin during swimming and other recreational activities. Some UVFs are hydrophobic (log Kow > 4) which has led to concern that they may bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms. The purpose of this study was to investigate the bioaccumulation and biotransformation of two widely-used UVFs, 2-ethylhexyl-4-methoxycinnamate (EHMC) and octocrylene (OCT) in rainbow trout exposed via the diet. EHMC and OCT were significantly metabolized by trout and this metabolism substantially reduced bioaccumulation relative to levels observed for a set of poorly transformed chemicals having similar log Kow values. Derived bioconcentration factors (BCFs) and biomagnification factors (BMFs) for both UVFs were well below established bioaccumulation criteria, suggesting that EHMC and OCT are unlikely to pose a bioaccumulation hazard in trout. This research substantially increases existing knowledge concerning the fate and effects of UVFs in the environment.

This dataset is associated with the following publication: Saunders, L., A. Hoffman, J. Nichols, and F. Gobas. Dietary bioaccumulation and biotransformation of hydrophobic organic sunscreen agents in rainbow trout. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Pensacola, FL, USA, 39(3): 574-586, (2020).