Fragrances: iconic emerging contaminants in remote environments

ENGLISH VERSION Introduction- The impact of the anthropic activities in polar and remote regions is an in-depth scrutinized issue, however, little is known about the role of the emerging contaminants in such environments. In this context, long-lasting and stable Fragrances, widely used in household and personal care products, due to their volatility are emerging contaminants recently recognized to be atmospherically transported over long distances (Vecchiato et al., 2018, 2020), but their environmental fate is still largely unknown. Activities- Fragrances, namely Amyl Salicylate, Oranger Crystals, Hexyl Salicylate, Ambrofix, Peonile and Benzyl Salicylate, were found in the coastal seawater of the Ross Sea, Antarctica (Vecchiato et al., 2017) and in seawater and snow samples of the Svalbard Islands (Vecchiato et al., 2018). Local emissions from both the Arctic and Antarctic research bases were revealed, together with the evidence of Long-Range Atmospheric Transport (LRAT) of these substances. Moreover, an ice core retrieved on Elbrus, Caucasus, showed a 20-fold increase of the deposition fluxes of fragrances (Vecchiato et al., 2020), accounting for the deep changes in their usage from 1950s onwards. In each of the investigated environments the allergenic and oestrogenic Salicylates resulted in general the most abundant and widespread components, reflecting their large global consumption. On-going and planned sampling campaigns both in the Arctic and Antarctica are focusing on the distribution of fragrances on inland and coastal snow, to identify the sources, the cold-condensation drivers and finally their environmental fate. Future developments- The ecotoxicological effects of these substances are very little known, but preliminary studies showed developmental toxicity for copepods at levels close to the environmental concentrations (10-100 ng L-1) (Picone et al., 2021), indicating a possible threat for marine ecosystems. Therefore, it is fundamental for future studies in polar environments to investigate the local sources, as well as the fluxes during the seasonal snowmelt, considering possible amplification phenomena. On the other hand, a better understanding of the atmospheric processes is needed, to increase the knowledge on the transport patterns and dynamics. ITALIAN VERSION introduzione- L'impatto delle attività antropiche negli ambienti polari e remoti è un argomento ampiamente dibattuto, tuttavia il ruolo dei contaminanti emergenti in queste aree è ancora poco compreso. In tale contesto, il trasporto a lungo raggio di composti volatili ma stabili, quali Fragranze ampiamente utilizzate in prodotti per la cura personale e della casa, è stato recentemente riconosciuto in aree remote (Vecchiato et al., 2018, 2020), benché la conoscenza del loro destino ambientale sia ancora limitata. Attività correnti- La presenza di una serie di fragranze, ovvero Amil Salicilato, Oranger Crystals, Esil Salicilato, Ambrofix, Peonile e Benzil Salicilato, è stata riscontrata in aree costiere del mare di Ross in Antartide (Vecchiato et al., 2017) e in campioni di acqua di mare e neve delle isole Svalbard (Vecchiato et al., 2018). Sono state identificate emissioni locali dalle basi di ricerca, sia artiche che antartiche, tuttavia accompagnate anche dall'evidenza del trasporto atmosferico a lungo raggio (LRAT) di queste sostanze. Inoltre, l'analisi di una carota di ghiaccio dal monte Elbrus, Caucaso, ha mostrato un incremento di venti volte dei flussi di deposizione delle fragranze (Vecchiato et al., 2020), descrivendo quindi i profondi cambiamenti nel loro utilizzo intercorsi dagli anni '50. In ciascuno di questi studi i composti salicilati, sostanze allergeniche ed estrogeniche, sono risultati generalmente i componenti più diffusi e abbo