Emerging pollutants are a cause of concern for the Ocean and one example is personal care products (PCP). When these compounds are washed off the body, they end up in aquatic environments through treated and untreated effluent water. Ultraviolet filters (UVF) fall under this category of PCP. UVF are found in all types of aquatic environments and toxicity studies have been carried out on different marine organisms with negative impacts observed. Ratifications have been made by some regulatory bodies to amend concentrations or ban certain UVF compounds in cosmetic products. Their occurrence in the marine environment is still widely distributed and it has been reported that some 20,000 tons of sunscreen were estimated to be released into the Mediterranean Sea per year. The effects of organic UVF on heterotrophic marine bacteria is examined in this study. The bacteria have been isolated from the NW Mediterranean Sea and 5 common UVF were used in this assessment; oxybenzone (BP3), ethylhexyl-methoxy-cinnamate (EHMC) and octocrylene (OC), 4-methylbenzyliden camphor (4-MBC) and homosalate (HS). A screening assessment evaluated the bacterial growth efficiency (BGE) when exposed to a UVF. This study also introduces a combination assessment to determine if solar radiation alters the UVF’s toxicity.
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