Synthetic musks in environmental samples: indicator compounds with relevant properties for environmental monitoring

Synthetic musks (nitro and polycyclic musks) are a group of chemicals offer ing a wide range of important properties for environmental monitoring progr ams. They are produced as odorous chemicals and added to a wide variety of perfumes, toiletry products and other household products. As such, they are directly applied in cosmetic products or in washed textiles to the human b ody in considerable concentrations and accumulate owing to dermal resorptio n. In addition, synthetic musks also enter the environment aia waste water treatment. Several polycyclic musks are chiral. By using chiral gas chromat ographic methods, it is possible to determine the enantiomeric ratio and as sess their bioavailability. Although an comprehensive quality assurance pro gram must be followed during the analysis of synthetic musks in environment al samples, the determination of these compounds is not very demanding and can be carried out by a standard analytical laboratory specialising in trac e analysis of organic pollutants. Owing to the pheromone-like behavior of s ome synthetic musks, the induction of receptors in olfactory systems should be investigated. For HHCB (1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyl openta [g]-2-benzopyran e.g., Galaxolide(R)), three-dimensional structural similarities with androstenone (5 alpha-androst-16-en-3-one),a mammalian st eroid pheromone, were found, which support the hypothesis of HHCB as an art ificial pheromone. Owing to their environmental abundance, their relation t o human activities and their potential for pheromone-like environmental beh avior, synthetic musks are especially valuable as future indicator chemical s for environmental monitoring.