care products Since excessive UV radiation can cause sunburn, photoaging, and skin cancer, care products such as sunscreen usually include a classification for the specific wavelengths they filter. UV classifications include UVA (320-400 nm), UVB (290-320 nm) and UVC (200-280 nm). UV-absorbing compounds are used not only in sunscreen, but also in other personal care products, such as lipstick, shampoo, hair spray, body wash, toilet soap, and insect repellent. Chemical filters protect against UV radiation by absorbing, reflecting, or scattering it. Reflection and scattering are accomplished by inorganic physical UV filters, such as titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO). Absorption, mainly of UVB, is done by organic UV filters, which are known as chemical UV filters. The levels of UV filters in sunscreens typically vary from 0.5% to 10%, although they sometimes reach 25%. Examples of organic UV filters Many different organic compounds can serve as UV filters. They fall into several structural classes: Environmental aspects The use of UV filters has increased recently due to growing concern about UV radiation and skin cancer, especially as a result of ozone depletion, which in turn has caused concern for its environmental impact. The filter material can enter the environment either directly, through industrial wastewater discharge, or indirectly, through domestic water discharge during showering, bathing, urine excretion or through wastewater treatment. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are not very effective at removing these contaminants. Several UV filters have been detected at ppb or ppt levels in surface water and wastewater, with maximum concentrations in the summertime. Because most UV filters are lipophilic, they tend to bioaccumulate in aquatic environments and food chains originating from them. Confirming bioaccumulation, several studies have shown the presence of UV filters in aquatic organisms. The 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor was detected in the muscle tissue of trout in Swiss and German waters, while traces of Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and octocrylene were found in shellfish in the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of France. Furthermore, eighteen organic sunscreens were found in sediments of Japanese rivers and lakes, at concentrations ranging from 2 to about 3000 ng/g. The accumulation of organic UV filters in living organisms is of major concern because some of them (and their metabolites) can act as endocrine disruptors both in vitro and in vivo. Also, Goksøyr et al. (2009) reported concentrations of organic UV-filters in open waters of the Pacific Ocean, providing evidence of the persistence and wide dispersion