Occurrence, fate and ecological risk of five typical azole fungicides as therapeutic and personal care products in the environment: A review.
Azole fungicides are widely used to treat fungal infection in human. After application, these chemicals may reach to the receiving environment via direct or indirect discharge of wastewaters, thus posing potential risks to non-target organisms. We aimed to review the occurrence, fate and toxicological effects of some representative household azole fungicides in the environment. Azole fungicides were widely detected in surface water and sediment of the aquatic environment due to their incomplete removal in wastewater treatment plants. These chemicals are found resistant to microbial degradation, but can undergo photolysis under UV irradiation. Due to different physiochemical properties, azole fungicides showed different environmental behaviors. The residues of azole fungicides could cause toxic effects on aquatic organisms such as algae and fish. The reported effects include regulation changes in expression of cytochrome P450-related genes and alteration in CYP450-regulated steroidogenesis causing endocrine disruption in fish. Further studies are essential to investigate the removal of azole fungicides by advanced treatment technologies, environmental fate such as natural photolysis, and toxic pathways in aquatic organisms.
Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Tropical & Subtropical Fishery Resources Utilization & Cultivation, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, China; State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, CAS Centre for Pearl River Delta Environmental Pollution and Control Research, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Zhi-Feng
ZF
Chen
State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, CAS Centre for Pearl River Delta Environmental Pollution and Control Research, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China. Electronic address: guangguo.ying@gmail.com.
Guang-Guo
GG
Ying
D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000187:drug effects; D001393:Azoles / Q000032:analysis*; D003358:Cosmetics / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation; D005659:Fungicides, Industrial / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D006801:Humans; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D001393:Azoles; D003358:Cosmetics; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D005659:Fungicides, Industrial; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
Azole fungicides; Degradation; Fate; Occurrence; Risk; Toxicity