Musk xylene and musk ketone amino metabolites in the aquatic environment

The monoamino metabolites of the nitro musk fragrances musk xylene (MX) and musk ketone (MK) were analysed simultaneously with their parent compounds by GC/ECD, GC/PND and GC/EI/MS in the various compartments of the aquatic e nvironment. In this review the data of the metabolites 4-NH2-MX, 2-NH2-MX, and 2-NH2-MK in five river water and seven sewage samples, six sediment sam ples and in a total of 33 biota samples are summarized and discussed. In th e effluents of two municipal sewage plants low nitro musk concentrations an d comparatively high levels of the amino metabolites (maximum concentration s: 34 ng 4-NH2-MX/L, 250 ng 2-NH2-MK/L) were analysed indicating that besid es adsorption to the sludge the metabolization pathway plays an important r ole in the sewage plant. In water samples from the river Elbe the transform ation products were the dominant compounds as well. In general, in water sa mples the concentrations of 2-NH2-MK exceeded those of the main MX metaboli te 4-NH2-MX significantly. In biota samples 4-NH2-MX seems to be the main m etabolite, very often its contents were higher than those of the parent com pound. Maximum concentrations of 4-NH2-MX were found in tenches from a sewa ge pond (3600 mu g/kg lipid), a species dependent bioaccumulation was discu ssed. The bioconcentration of 2-NH2-MK in biota samples is relatively low. There are only few toxicological studies on the mixed amino nitroaromatics, whose data indicate the relevance of the monoamino metabolites in environm ental analysis and toxicology and the urgent need of further investigations . (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.