Synthetic Phenolic Antioxidants and Their Metabolites in Mollusks from the Chinese Bohai Sea: Occurrence, Temporal Trend, and Human Exposure

Synthetic phenolic antioxidants (SPAs) are a group of chemicals widely used in various daily necessities and industrial supplies. Little is known about the occurrence and bioaccumulation potential of SPAs in marine biota. In this study, five commonly used SPAs and their four metabolites were detected in mollusk samples (n = 274) collected from the Chinese Bohai Sea during 2006–2016 and the spatiotemporal distribution and bioaccumulation of SPAs in mollusks were examined. The concentrations of 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxytoluene (BHT) ranged from 383 to 501000 ng/g (geometric mean: 3450 ng/g), accounting for 79.4% of the total concentrations of SPAs and their metabolites (∑9SPAs). The mollusk species, Rapana venosa (RAP), contained higher levels of BHT than other species, suggesting that Rap could be used as a potential bioindicator for monitoring of the BHT pollution in the investigated region. The ∑9SPAs concentrations in mollusks gradually increased with years and a significant positive correlation (r = ...