Occurrence of bisphenols and benzophenone UV filters in wild brown mussels (Perna perna) from Algoa Bay in South Africa

Bisphenols and benzophenone UV filters are contaminants present in a wide variety of plastic materials and consumer products. The scientific attention towards these contaminants has increased in recent years due to their presence in microplastics, their ubiquitous occurrence in the environment, and their known endocrine disrupting health effects. In this study, the occurrence of nine bisphenol and five benzophenone UV-filter analogues was assessed in wild brown mussels (Perna perna) collected from different sampling sites along the coast of Algoa Bay, South Africa. Eleven out of fourteen target analytes were detected, and bisphenol AP (BPAP) was detected for the first time in mussels, presenting the highest median concentration of 150 ng g-1 dry weight (d.w.) and a detection frequency of 91%. Regarding benzophenone UV-filters, median concentrations of the analogues (across all sites) ranged from 2.01 to 10.6 ng g-1 d.w., with benzophenone-1 (BzP-1) and benzophenone-3 (BzP-3) presenting the highest concentrations. Human exposure was assessed by estimating daily intakes (EDI) of the target analytes through mussel consumption. To our knowledge, this is the first study from the African continent on the occurrence of bisphenols and benzophenone UV-filters in a large population (n=138) of wild brown mussels.