Benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizers (BUVSs) are phenolic benzotriazoles primarily used as additives in industrial and commercial products such as plastics and coatings due to their protective properties against light-induced degradation. Several BUVSs are ubiquitously detected in the environment, exhibiting persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic properties, raising concern regarding potential adverse health effects. This study developed a method to measure UV-328, UV-327, UV-320, UV-326, and UV-350 in human serum using liquid–liquid extraction with a gel permeation chromatography cleanup step, followed by analysis on a gas chromatography-Orbitrap mass spectrometer (LLE-GPC-GC-Orbitrap). The method was successfully applied to 23 pooled human serum samples collected in 2020–2021 covering 2300 individuals from two states in Australia (Tasmania and Victoria). UV-326 was detected above the method detection limit in 67% (Victoria) and 81% (Tasmania) of pooled serum samples with concentrations in both states ranging from <0.011 ng/mL to 0.070 ng/mL. No significant differences in serum UV-326 concentrations were observed among age groups, sexes, or states. UV-327 was detected in 17% of Tasmanian samples with serum concentrations ranging from <0.012 ng/mL to 0.021 ng/mL while it was not detected in Victorian samples. Other BUVSs were not detected in the serum samples from the studied Australian population.
Que et al. (Thu,) studied this question.