A review on occurrence and analytical procedures for the evaluation of polychlorinated naphthalenes in human and environmental matrices

Abstract

Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) are organochlorine compounds comprising the naphthalene ring system, in which one to eight hydrogen atoms have been substituted with chlorine atoms, yielding 75 chlorinated congeners. They were considered as persistent organic pollutants in May 2015 at the Stockholm Convention owing to their toxicity, persistence, bioaccumulation and potential for long-range transport in the environment. PCNs were invented in the early 1900s to be applied as flame-retardants in consumer products. Flameretardants are effective in minimizing fire-related problems. However, their negative environmental impacts have become of great concerns. Different analytical methods for the evaluation of PCNs in various environmental samples were reviewed in this article.. Their levels in human and some environmental samples across the globe are also mentioned. Reported data revealed that the highly toxic congeners (CNs 66, 67 and 73) are prevalent in most samples, there is need for their continuous monitoring in our environment.

Distribution of Polychlorinated Naphthalenes in Sediment From Industrialized Coastal Waters of Korea With the Optimized Cleanup and GC-MS/MS Methods

“…The congener patterns of predominant PCNs in our sediment samples were similar to those observed in marine biota. Reported data showed that highly toxic congeners of PCNs (CNs 66, 67, and 73) are prevalent in marine fish and mammals (e.g., polar bears) across the globe (Bidleman et al, 2010;Agunbiade et al, 2020). This similarity of congener patterns for PCNs in marine sediment and biota could be based on their persistence and bioaccumulation potentials.…”

“…In particular, the sediment from Station D2 showed the highest PCN concentration (21,000 pg/g dry wt) in all sediment samples. During the smelting processes of iron and non-ferrous materials (e.g., copper and aluminum), cutting oils could contain PCNs as impurities (Agunbiade et al, 2020;Shen et al, 2021).…”

“…Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) comprise 75 congeners from mono-to octa-CNs, with differing numbers and positions of chlorine substituents based on naphthalene structure. PCNs were extensively produced for applications including insulating oils for capacitors and flame retardants in electrical cables beginning in the 1950s (Odabasi et al, 2017;Agunbiade et al, 2020).…”

Occurrence and Trophic Transfer of Polychlorinated Naphthalenes (PCNs) in the Arctic and Antarctic Benthic Marine Food Webs

“…3,4 To date, PCNs have been detected in various abiotic environmental matrices, including air, water, and soil, as well as in biological matrices, including plants, animals, and humans. 5,6 Furthermore, PCNs exhibit dioxin-like toxicities, such as dermal lesions, endocrine disruption, hepatotoxicity, immunotoxicity, embryotoxicity, teratogenicity, and carcinogenicity. 7−10 Given the potential threats of PCNs to biological health, their bioaccumulation and biomagnification behaviors are of particular concern.…”

Spatial and temporal trends in polychlorinated naphthalenes in sediment from industrialized coastal environments of Korea: Potential sources and ecotoxicological concerns

“…Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), which are chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons with a naphthalene skeleton, comprise 75 congeners from mono-to octa-CN depending on the number and position of the chlorine atoms. Beginning in the 1970s, PCNs were produced for use as ame retardants in electrical devices, waterproo ng materials for wood, paper, and textiles (Agunbiade et al, 2020). The representative technical mixtures of PCNs in industrial markets are Halowax, Seekay, Wako-PCN, and Clonacire waxes (Falandysz et al, 2006(Falandysz et al, , 2008(Falandysz et al, , 2014.…”