BookR: School of Health Core Facilities Booking

Synthetic antioxidants (SAs), a group of emerging contaminants, have attracted great attention recently due to their widespread environmental occurrence and potential toxicity. Yet, there is a knowledge gap regarding their occurrence and associated infant exposure in baby wipes, one of the most frequently used baby products. Here, we analyzed SAs-including synthetic phenolic antioxidants (SPAs) and organophosphite antioxidants (OPAs)-along with their transformation products in baby wipes. Eleven SPAs and five OPAs were detected in baby wipes from different countries (median total concentration: 3.09 ×10³ ng g^-1), indicating that SA contamination in baby wipes is a common issue, regardless of the wipe type (non-woven fabric-based and wood pulp-based wipes) and manufacturer. The dominant SAs detected in the samples were pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)-propionate) (AO1010), tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphite (TDtBPPi), and TDtBPPi-derived novel organophosphate ester tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphate (TDtBPP). Based upon the concentrations detected, the annual uses of SAs in baby wipes worldwide is estimated as 6.7 tons, suggesting that discarded baby wipes can be a source of environmental SAs. While our preliminary exposure assessment indicates that SAs and their transformation products pose low health risks to infants, this work highlights the importance of investigating the occurrence and risks of more emerging contaminants including SAs in baby products.