Concentrations of Synthetic Fragrance Chemicals in Aquatic Systems

Abstract

Synthetic fragrance chemicals are present in aquatic systems due to discharge from wastewater treatment plants. Four specific chemicals, musk ketone (MK), musk xylene (MX), galaxolide (HHCB), and tonalide (AHTN), have been found in water, sediment, and aquatic organisms in several studies worldwide. These chemicals have the potential to cause negative health problems, leading scientists to discover new ways to rid them from aquatic environments. Water and sediment samples were acquired and the chemicals were extracted, condensed, and cleaned based on EPA methods. A GC/MS was used to analyze the samples and a calibration curve was derived to determine unknown concentrations in spiked samples. The R2 values for the MK and MX trendlines were 0.9718 and 0.9635, respectively. The R2 values for the HHCB and AHTN trendlines were 0.998 and 0.9922, respectively. A method detection limit (MDL) was calculated for each chemical to verify the lowest measureable concentration. The MDL for MK, HHCB, and AHTN was 0.106, 0.019, and 0.022 ug/L, respectively. The nitromusk fragrance chemicals, MK and MX, were found to have a percent recovery below 100%; the polycyclic fragrance chemicals, HHCB and AHTN, were found to have a percent recovery above 100%.