Abstract

Nonylphenols (NPs) and nonylphenol carboxylates (NPECs) are products of the biodegradation of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs), which is a widely used group of nonionic surfactants. These compounds are persistent, toxic, and exhibit estrogenic activity. Global scientific and public discourse has revealed the consequences of long-term dietary exposure to these endocrine disrupters. Since 2005, the utilization and sale of NPEOs and NPs have been regulated in some industrial applications by Directive 2003/53/EC of the European Union (EU). The objective of this investigation was to assess the NPs and NPECs concentration levels in foodstuffs following the implementation of the EU directive. Using a method based on high-performance liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS), NPs and NPECs were determined in the same German food basket that was examined before the restriction. NPs were detected in 22 of the 24 food samples, whereas NPECs were below the limit of detection. The concentrations of NPs on a fresh weight basis varied between 0.1 and 6.3 μg kg⁻¹. Based on the data of food consumption rates in Germany and the concentrations of NPs in the food samples, the daily NP intake for an adult was determined to be 2.7 µg day⁻¹, which is one-third of the value found in the 2002 study. However, our findings revealed that NPs remain ubiquitous in foods at relevant concentrations, which highlights the need for further examinations in particular the isomer-specific aspects. This is especially important as nonylphenol is found in human blood in many studies.

摘要

壬基酚 (NPs) 和壬基酚羧酸盐 (NPECs) 是壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚 (NPEOs) 的生物降解产物，后者是一类广泛使用的非离子表面活性剂。这些化合物具有持久性、毒性，并表现出雌激素活性。全球科学和公共话语揭示了长期饮食接触这些内分泌干扰物的后果。自 2005 年以来，欧盟 (EU) 的指令 2003/53/EC 在一些工业应用中对 NPEO 和 NP 的使用和销售进行了监管。本次调查的目的是评估欧盟指令实施后食品中的 NPs 和 NPECs 浓度水平。使用基于高效液相色谱结合串联质谱（HPLC-MS）的方法，NPs 和 NPECs 是在限制前检查的同一个德国食品篮中确定的。24 份食物样本中有 22 份检出 NP，而 NPEC 低于检出限。基于鲜重的 NPs 浓度在 0.1 和 6.3 μg/kg 之间变化^-1。根据德国的食物消费率数据和食物样本中 NP 的浓度，确定成年人每日 NP 摄入量为 2.7 µg day ^-1，这是 2002 年研究中发现的值的三分之一. 然而，我们的研究结果表明，NPs 在相关浓度的食物中仍然普遍存在，这突出了进一步检查的必要性，特别是异构体特异性方面。这一点尤其重要，因为在许多研究中都在人体血液中发现了壬基酚。