Investigation of Sunscreen-Related Chemical Contaminants in Local Fish Using GC-MS
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
In Person or Zoom Presentation
In-Person
Campus
Daytona Beach
Status
Student
Faculty/Staff Department
Physical Sciences
Student Year and Major
Senior, Aerospace Physiology
Presentation Description/Abstract
Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3; BP-3) is a widely used ultraviolet (UV) filter in sunscreen products that has attracted environmental concern because of its potential endocrine-disrupting effects on aquatic organisms. Previous research has identified estrogenic activity and thyroid-related effects associated with BP-3 exposure, raising concerns about potential disruptions to reproductive and developmental processes in fish (Mustieles et al., 2023; Wang et al., 2023). This study investigated the occurrence of BP-3 in fish collected along Florida’s Space Coast, with the broader goal of examining the presence of sunscreen-related contaminants in coastal marine ecosystems. In collaboration with Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA) in Vero beach, over 100 samples of fish tissue from the Indiana River Lagoon were extracted, purified, and analyzed via Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). GC-MS works by separating individual chemical compounds through gas chromatography and identifying them based on their mass to charge ratios using mass spectrometry, allowing for identification of specific contaminants within samples. Contrary to the initial expectation that BP-3 would be detected in the collected tissues, results indicated that BP-3 was rarely detected, whereas benzophenone-1 (BP-1) was identified in nearly all samples. Further investigation is needed to evaluate potential sources of BP-1 and determine whether environmental or biological processes contribute to the presence of benzophenone. These findings provide a basis for further research into chemical contaminants in coastal fish and their implications for marine environmental monitoring.
References
Chiriac, F. L., Lucaciu, I. E., Paun, I., Pirvu, F., & Gheorghe, S. (2022). In vivo bioconcentration, distribution and metabolization of benzophenone-3 (BP-3) by Cyprinus carpio (European carp). Foods, 11(11), Article 1627. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11111627
Mustieles, V., Balogh, R. K., Axelstad, M., Montazeri, P., Márquez, S., Vrijheid, M., Draskau, M. K., Taxvig, C., Peinado, F. M., Berman, T., Frederiksen, H., Fernández, M. F., Vinggaard, A. M., & Andersson, A.-M. (2023). Benzophenone-3: Comprehensive review of the toxicological and human evidence with meta-analysis of human biomonitoring studies. Environment International, 173, Article 107739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.107739
Ocaña-Rios, I., Peña-Alvarez, A., Zuñiga-Perez, I., & Loeza-Fuentes, E. (2019). Trace analysis of UV filters and musks in living fish by in vivo SPME-GC-MS. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 411(14), 3209–3218.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-019-01791-5
Riaz, M., Abdullah, S., Jamil, M., Rasheed, A., Sheikh, U., Fatima, M., Umer, N., & Aslam, K. (2025). Evaluation of toxic effects of benzophenone on histopathology of Labeo rohita. Toxicology Reports, 14, Article 101914. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2025.101914
Wang, Y., Jiang, S., Chen, X., Liu, X., Li, N., Nie, Y., & Lu, G. (2023). Comparison of developmental toxicity of benzophenone-3 and its metabolite benzophenone-8 in zebrafish. Aquatic Toxicology, 258, Article 106515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2023.106515
Keywords
Oxybenzone (BP-3), Benzophenone-1 (BP-1), Local fish, Marine Environmental Monitoring
Investigation of Sunscreen-Related Chemical Contaminants in Local Fish Using GC-MS
Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3; BP-3) is a widely used ultraviolet (UV) filter in sunscreen products that has attracted environmental concern because of its potential endocrine-disrupting effects on aquatic organisms. Previous research has identified estrogenic activity and thyroid-related effects associated with BP-3 exposure, raising concerns about potential disruptions to reproductive and developmental processes in fish (Mustieles et al., 2023; Wang et al., 2023). This study investigated the occurrence of BP-3 in fish collected along Florida’s Space Coast, with the broader goal of examining the presence of sunscreen-related contaminants in coastal marine ecosystems. In collaboration with Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA) in Vero beach, over 100 samples of fish tissue from the Indiana River Lagoon were extracted, purified, and analyzed via Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). GC-MS works by separating individual chemical compounds through gas chromatography and identifying them based on their mass to charge ratios using mass spectrometry, allowing for identification of specific contaminants within samples. Contrary to the initial expectation that BP-3 would be detected in the collected tissues, results indicated that BP-3 was rarely detected, whereas benzophenone-1 (BP-1) was identified in nearly all samples. Further investigation is needed to evaluate potential sources of BP-1 and determine whether environmental or biological processes contribute to the presence of benzophenone. These findings provide a basis for further research into chemical contaminants in coastal fish and their implications for marine environmental monitoring.
References
Chiriac, F. L., Lucaciu, I. E., Paun, I., Pirvu, F., & Gheorghe, S. (2022). In vivo bioconcentration, distribution and metabolization of benzophenone-3 (BP-3) by Cyprinus carpio (European carp). Foods, 11(11), Article 1627. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11111627
Mustieles, V., Balogh, R. K., Axelstad, M., Montazeri, P., Márquez, S., Vrijheid, M., Draskau, M. K., Taxvig, C., Peinado, F. M., Berman, T., Frederiksen, H., Fernández, M. F., Vinggaard, A. M., & Andersson, A.-M. (2023). Benzophenone-3: Comprehensive review of the toxicological and human evidence with meta-analysis of human biomonitoring studies. Environment International, 173, Article 107739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.107739
Ocaña-Rios, I., Peña-Alvarez, A., Zuñiga-Perez, I., & Loeza-Fuentes, E. (2019). Trace analysis of UV filters and musks in living fish by in vivo SPME-GC-MS. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 411(14), 3209–3218.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-019-01791-5
Riaz, M., Abdullah, S., Jamil, M., Rasheed, A., Sheikh, U., Fatima, M., Umer, N., & Aslam, K. (2025). Evaluation of toxic effects of benzophenone on histopathology of Labeo rohita. Toxicology Reports, 14, Article 101914. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2025.101914
Wang, Y., Jiang, S., Chen, X., Liu, X., Li, N., Nie, Y., & Lu, G. (2023). Comparison of developmental toxicity of benzophenone-3 and its metabolite benzophenone-8 in zebrafish. Aquatic Toxicology, 258, Article 106515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2023.106515