Polycyclic Musks: Sources, Pathways, and Environmental Distribution
Jessica Reiner, NIST
12 Sep 2008
Substitutes for natural musks have been around since the first synthetic musk was found by chance in Dr. Albert Baur’s laboratory in the late 1890s. Since the discovery of the first synthetic musk, a variety of musks have been synthesized, with different chemical structures. Polycyclic musks are similar to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in terms of persistence and lipophilicity. There is continuous input of polycyclic musks to the environment because of their ongoing production and use; because of this, polycyclic musks are widespread in the environment. Unlike POPs, whose concentrations in the environment are decreasing, polycyclic musk concentrations, particularly 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethyl-cyclopenta-[?]-2-benzopyran (HHCB) and 7-acetyl-1,1,3,4,4,6-hexamethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronapthalene (AHTN), are increasing. As a result of their lipophilicity, polycyclic musks are found in sediments and in the fatty tissues of many organisms. An evaluation of polycyclic musks concentrations in source and environmental samples collected from several locations in the United States was preformed. The distributions of musks in different consumer products, environmental compartments (waste water, river water and sediment), and wildlife (fish, birds, marine mammals) are examined.