Environmental and health risks of hydroquinone.

Hazard assessment of hydroquinone has been evaluated from bibliographical and original data on the physicochemical properties, the environmental behavior, and the biological effects of this aromatic compound. Hydroquinone, which is produced in large amounts and widely used, must be considered as an environmental contaminant. However, it is not persistent. The ecotoxicity of this molecule, which must be linked to its physicochemical properties, varies from species to species. Its acute and chronic toxicity toward higher terrestrial organisms is moderate. Hydroquinone is estimated to be nonmutagenic by the Ames test but induces chromosome aberrations or karyotypic effects in eucaryotic cells. Carcinogenic and teratogenic potentials have been at present inadequately studied. The study underlines the complementarity of QSAR models and experimental approaches when an attempt is made to obtain ecotoxicological profiles of pollutants.

[1]  Structure-Activity Relationships for Para-Substituted Phenols , 1987 .

[2]  T. Seki.  Chromatographic separation of dihydroxybenzenes on a column of merckogel PGM 2000. , 1975, Journal of Chromatography A.

[3]  N. Haas.  [Confetti-like dyschromia caused by a bleaching cream containing hydroquinone in racially pigmented patients]. , 1988, Medizinische Klinik.

[4]  F. Korte,et al.  Relationship between water solubility of organic chemicals and their bioaccumulation by the alga Chlorella , 1981 .

[5]  Nagamany Nirmalakhandan,et al.  ES&T Critical Review: Structure-activity relationships. Quantitative techniques for predicting the behavior of chemicals in the ecosystem , 1988 .

[6]  J. I. Phillips,et al.  Ochronosis in Black South Africans Who Used Skin Lighteners , 1986, The American Journal of dermatopathology.

[7]  M. Gattrell,et al.  Interconversion of hydroquinone and benzoquinone during styrene-divinylbenzene resin-based ion-exclusion chromatography , 1987 .

[8]  B. J. Dean.  Genetic toxicology of benzene, toluene, xylenes and phenols. , 1978, Mutation research.

[9]  P. Robins,et al.  Photolysis of aqueous solutions of p-benzoquinone: a spectrophotometric investigation , 1970 .

[10]  P. Pitter,et al.  Correlation of Microbial Degradation Rates with the Chemical Structure , 1985 .

[11]  D. Dixon,et al.  Measurement of median lethal dose as a rapid indication of contaminant toxicity to fish , 1984 .

[12]  A. Itaya,et al.  KINETICS OF DYE-SENSITIZED PHOTO-DEGRADATION OF AQUEOUS PHENOL , 1982 .

[13]  J. Levin.  High performance liquid chromatographic determination of hydroquinone in air as benzoquinone, using combined oxidizing filter and XAD-2 adsorbent preconcentration , 1988 .

[14]  A. Leo,et al.  Substituent constants for correlation analysis in chemistry and biology , 1979 .

[15]  P. Lindgaard-Jørgensen,et al.  Biodegradation of 4-nitrophenol in standardized aquatic degradation tests. , 1984, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.

[16]  J. K. Seydel,et al.  Multivariate Data Analysis of Various Biological Test Systems Used for the Quantification of Ecotoxic Compounds , 1988 .

[17]  H. Tabak,et al.  MICROBIAL METABOLISM OF AROMATIC COMPOUNDS I , 1964, Journal of bacteriology.

[18]  C. Dukes,et al.  Further Experiments on Implantation of Materials into the Urinary Bladder of Mice , 1964, British Journal of Cancer.

[19]  M. Clifford,et al.  Metaperiodate—a new structure-specific locating reagent for phenolic compounds , 1973 .

[20]  C. Romaguera,et al.  Leukoderma from hydroquinone , 1985, Contact dermatitis.

[21]  O. Zafiriou,et al.  WAVELENGTH‐DEPENDENT QUANTUM YIELD OF OH RADICAL FORMATION FROM PHOTOLYSIS OF NITRITE ION IN WATER , 1987 .

[22]  R. Belly,et al.  The biodegradation of hydroquinone , 1982 .

[23]  R D Irons,et al.  Quinones as toxic metabolites of benzene. , 1985, Journal of toxicology and environmental health.

[24]  E. Zeiger,et al.  Salmonella mutagenicity test results for 250 chemicals. , 1983, Environmental mutagenesis.

[25]  R. W. Matthews.  Solar-electric water purification using photocatalytic oxidation with TiO2 as a stationary phase , 1987 .

[26]  QSAR of Acute Toxicity of 1,4-Di-Substituted Benzene Derivatives and Relationships with the Acute Toxicity of Corresponding Mono-Substituted Benzene Derivatives , 1987 .

[27]  Filderman Rb.  Tetracycline treatment for sarcoid-like ochronosis due to hydroquinone. , 1988 .

[28]  H. Blanck,et al.  Multivariate patterns of algal sensitivity to chemicals in relation to phylogeny. , 1988, Ecotoxicology and environmental safety.

[29]  M. H. Bilimoria.  The detection of mutagenic activity of chemicals and tobacco smoke in a bacterial system , 1975 .

[30]  H. Kawaguchi.  Photocatalytic decomposition of phenol in the presence of titanium dioxide , 1984 .

[31]  R. Snyder,et al.  Inhibition of RNA synthesis and interleukin-2 production in lymphocytes in vitro by benzene and its metabolites, hydroquinone and p-benzoquinone. , 1985, Toxicology letters.

[32]  C. Horváth,et al.  High-performance liquid chromatography of substituted p-benzoquinones and p-hydroquinones. I. Interplay of on-column redox reaction and the chromatographic retention process. , 1984, Journal of chromatography.

[33]  J. Hoigne,et al.  Singlet oxygen in surface waters. 3. Photochemical formation and steady-state concentrations in various types of waters. , 1986, Environmental science & technology.

[34]  F. Roe,et al.  Further Studies on Incomplete Carcinogenesis: Triethylene Melamine (T.E.M.), 1,2-Benzanthracene and β-Propiolactone, as Initiators of Skin Tumour Formation in the Mouse , 1955, British Journal of Cancer.

[35]  H. Strehlow,et al.  Flash Photolysis in Aqueous Nitrite Solutions , 1982 .

[36]  J. Devillers,et al.  A new approach in ecotoxicological QSAR studies , 1986 .

[37]  A. Catona,et al.  Monobenzone, Superfade, vitiligo and confetti‐like depigmentation , 1987, The Medical journal of Australia.

[38]  Makoto Tanaka,et al.  Photolysis of p-Benzoquinone in Aqueous Solution. Possibility of a Polar Mechanism in the Primary Process , 1975 .

[39]  R. Irons,et al.  Benzene-Induced Immunotoxicity: The Lymphocyte as a Tool for Studying Subcellular Mechanisms of Toxicity , 1984 .

[40]  J. Bolton,et al.  Mechanism of the photochemistry of p-benzoquinone in aqueous solutions. 2. Optical flash photolysis studies , 1986 .

[41]  B. Hickel,et al.  Flash photolysis of the nitrate ion in aqueous solution: excitation at 200 nm , 1970 .

[42]  M. Nendza,et al.  QUANTITATIVE STRUCTURE-TOXICITY RELATIONSHIPS FOR ECOTOXICOLOGICALLY RELEVANT BIOTESTSYSTEMS AND CHEMICALS + , 1988 .

[43]  J. Trevors,et al.  Toxicity of benzoquinone and hydroquinone in short-term bacterial bioassays , 1980, Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology.

[44]  J S Bus,et al.  A proposed mechanism of benzene toxicity: formation of reactive intermediates from polyphenol metabolites. , 1981, Toxicology and applied pharmacology.

[45]  M. Moussavi.  Effect of polar substituents on autoxidation of phenols , 1979 .

[46]  J. Devillers,et al.  A predictive structure-toxicity model with Daphnia magna , 1987 .

[47]  A. J. Carlson,et al.  Toxicity Studies on Hydroquinone.∗ , 1953, Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine.

[48]  W. H. Rapson,et al.  Mutagenicity produced by aqueous chlorination of organic compounds , 1980, Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology.

[49]  R. Snyder,et al.  Inhibition of mRNA synthesis in rabbit bone marrow nuclei in vitro by quinone metabolites of benzene. , 1984, Chemico-biological interactions.

[50]  B. Commins,et al.  The determination of phenols by chromatography and spectrophotometry of their methyl ethers: The determination of phenols in cigarette smoke , 1956 .

[51]  D. Ollis,et al.  Heterogeneous photoassisted catalysis: Conversions of perchloroethylene, dichloroethane, chloroacetic acids, and chlorobenzenes , 1984 .

[52]  D. Dixon,et al.  Estimating the acute toxicity of waterborne chemicals in trout from measurements of median lethal dose and the octanol‐water partition coefficient , 1988 .

[53]  Satyesh Chandra I Oy.  Comparative Effects of Colchicine, Caffeine and Hydroquinone on Nodal Roots of Callisia fragrans , 1973 .

[54]  O. Zafiriou,et al.  Nitrite photolysis in seawater by sunlight , 1979 .

[55]  O. Hayaishi,et al.  Nature and mechanisms of oxygenases. , 1969, Science.

[56]  J. Hoigné,et al.  Photo-sensitized oxidation in natural water via .OH radicals , 1985 .

[57]  M. Daniels,et al.  Photochemistry of the aqueous nitrate system. I. Excitation in the 300-m.mu. band , 1968 .

[58]  Sidney I. Miller,et al.  Photooxidation of Phenol, Cresols, and Dihydroxybenzenes1,2 , 1966 .

[59]  R D Irons,et al.  Inhibition of lymphocyte transformation and microtubule assembly by quinone metabolites of benzene: evidence for a common mechanism. , 1981, Journal of the Reticuloendothelial Society.

[60]  L. Young,et al.  Methanogenic degradation of four phenolic compounds , 1985 .

[61]  R D Irons,et al.  Alteration of lymphocyte function by quinones through a sulfhydryl-dependent disruption of microtubule assembly. , 1983, International journal of immunopharmacology.

[62]  R D Irons,et al.  An interaction of benzene metabolites reproduces the myelotoxicity observed with benzene exposure. , 1987, Toxicology and applied pharmacology.

[63]  S. Lambert,et al.  Photochimie et environnement X- evaluation de la toxicite des produits de phototransformation de l'hydroquinone et des chlorophenols en milieu aqueux , 1985 .

[64]  J. Bolton,et al.  Mechanism of the photochemistry of p-benzoquinone in aqueous solutions. 1. Spin trapping and flash photolysis electron paramagnetic resonance studies , 1986 .

[65]  D. Lenoir,et al.  Phototransformation of phenol induced by excitation of nitrate ions , 1988 .

[66]  M. Soyer,et al.  Action of the organophosphorous insecticide parathion on the free-living marine dinoflagellate Prorocentrum micans Ehrbg. , 1985, The Journal of Protozoology.

[67]  D. Stom,et al.  Some effects of polyphenols on aquatic plants: I. Toxicity of phenols in aquatic plants , 1981, Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology.

[68]  R D Irons,et al.  Inhibition of lectin-stimulated lymphocyte agglutination and mitogenesis by hydroquinone: reactivity with intracellular sulfhydryl groups. , 1981, Experimental and molecular pathology.

[69]  R. C. Reynolds,et al.  Metabolic fate and disposition of [14C]hydroquinone given orally to Sprague-Dawley rats. , 1984, Toxicology.

[70]  H. Keil,et al.  A biochemical study of the intervarietal resistance of Pyrus communis to fire blight , 1966 .

[71]  G. Briggs,et al.  Some factors affecting the toxicity of poisons to the slug Deroceras reticulatum (Müller) (Pulmonata: Limacidae) , 1987 .

[72]  R. W. Matthews.  Kinetics of photocatalytic oxidation of organic solutes over titanium dioxide , 1988 .

[73]  Masashi Tanaka,et al.  Heterogeneous Photocatalytic Decomposition of Phenol over TiO2 Powder , 1985 .

[74]  N. Yanishlieva,et al.  Spektrophotometrische Bestimmung von Hydrochinon als Chinon in Crememasse , 1970 .

[75]  A. Menter,et al.  Ochronosislike pigmentation from hydroquinone bleaching creams in American blacks. , 1985, Archives of dermatology.

[76]  J. Peral,et al.  Light-induced oxidation of phenol over ZnO powder , 1988 .

[77]  J. Firth,et al.  Determination of hydroquinone in skin-toning creams using high-performance liquid chromatography. , 1986, The Analyst.

[78]  Y. Olumide.  Photodermatoses in Lagos , 1987, International journal of dermatology.

[79]  B. Faust,et al.  Sensitized photooxidation of phenols by fulvic Acid and in natural waters. , 1987, Environmental science & technology.

[80]  H. Bergman,et al.  Acute and embryo-larval toxicity of phenolic compounds to aquatic biota , 1980, Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology.

[81]  P. Dustin,et al.  Early Effects of Hydroquinone on Mitosis , 1948, Nature.

[82]  N. Raghavan.  Separation and quantification of trace isomeric hydroxyphenols in aqueous solution by high-performance liquid chromatography , 1979 .

[83]  W. J. Perret,et al.  Exogenous ochronosis in the United States. , 1988, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

[84]  P. Vasseur,et al.  Influence of some experimental factors on metal toxicity to Selenastrum capricornutum , 1988 .

[85]  F. Oesch,et al.  Multi-step metabolic activation of benzene. Effect of superoxide dismutase on covalent binding to microsomal macromolecules, and identification of glutathione conjugates using high pressure liquid chromatography and field desorption mass spectrometry. , 1980, Chemico-biological interactions.

[86]  A. Scarpa,et al.  Depigmenting procedures and drugs employed by melanoderm populations. , 1987, Journal of ethnopharmacology.

[87]  K. Kaiser,et al.  Effects of selected chemicals to photoluminescent bacteria and their correlations with acute and sublethal effects on other organisms , 1983 .

[88]  A. D. Gen,et al.  Assessment of the impact of the emission of certain organochlorine compounds on the aquatic environment , 1986 .

[89]  M. Hirose,et al.  Comparison of the effects of 13 phenolic compounds in induction of proliferative lesions of the forestomach and increase in the labelling indices of the glandular stomach and urinary bladder epithelium of Syrian golden hamsters. , 1986, Carcinogenesis.

[90]  S. Knadle.  Synergistic interaction between hydroquinone and acetaldehyde in the induction of sister chromatid exchange in human lymphocytes in vitro. , 1985, Cancer research.

[91]  Structure-lethality relationships for phenols, anilines and other aromatic compounds in shrimp and clams , 1979 .

[92]  Harald J. Geyer,et al.  Environmental hazard profile of organic chemicals: An experimental method for the assessment of the behaviour of organic chemicals in the ecosphere by means of simple laboratory tests with 14C labelled chemicals , 1985 .

[93]  S. Wolff,et al.  Increase of sister chromatid exchanges and perturbations of cell division kinetics in human lymphocytes by benzene metabolites. , 1980, Cancer research.

[94]  K. Verschueren.  Handbook of environmental data on organic chemicals , 1977 .

[95]  G. Bradshaw,et al.  Inactivation of transforming DNA by a transient product of the interaction of Cu2+ and hydroquinone. , 1982, Biochemical and biophysical research communications.

[96]  R. Irons,et al.  Hydroquinone and catechol reduce the frequency of progenitor B lymphocytes in mouse spleen and bone marrow. , 1982, Immunopharmacology.

[97]  W. Klöpffer,et al.  Spectral solar photon irradiance in Central Europe and the adjacent North Sea , 1988 .

[98]  R. T. Williams,et al.  Studies in detoxication. 21. The fates of quinol and resorcinol in the rabbit in relation to the metabolism of benzene. , 1949, The Biochemical journal.

[99]  A. Kligerman,et al.  Sister chromatid exchange induction in human lymphocytes exposed to benzene and its metabolites in vitro. , 1985, Cancer research.

[100]  J. Hoigné,et al.  Nitrate-induced photooxidation of trace organic chemicals in water. , 1987, Environmental science & technology.

[101]  D. Tonelli,et al.  Identification and quantification of hydroquinone and some of its ethers in cosmetic products by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. , 1987, Journal of chromatography.

[102]  R. C. Weast.  CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics , 1973 .

[103]  J. Devillers,et al.  Combination of single-species laboratory tests for the assessment of the ecotoxicity of p-Benzoquinone , 1990 .

[104]  T. Sollmann.  CORRELATION OF THE AQUARIUM GOLDFISH TOXICITIES OF SOME PHENOLS, QUINONES, AND OTHER BENZENE DERIVATIVES WITH THEIR INHIBITION OF AUTOOXIDATIVE REACTIONS , 1949, The Journal of general physiology.

[105]  C. Flickinger.  The benzenediols: catechol, resorcinol and hydroquinone--a review of the industrial toxicology and current industrial exposure limits. , 1976, American Industrial Hygiene Association journal.