The concentrations of benzotriazole UV stabilizers (BUVSs) in water bodies and the atmosphere were analyzed in Hyogo, Japan. Only UV-326 was detected in the water at four sites in the Hokkesantanigawa-River system, with a maximum concentration of 2,800 ng/L. BUVSs were detected in most of the analyzed sediment samples, with UV-326 as the dominant compound, followed by UV-327, UV-328, and UV-320. Based on these observations, BUVSs appear to accumulate more readily in sediments than in water because of their strong hydrophobicity. BUVSs were detected in all the analyzed atmospheric samples, and similar to the water and sediment samples, UV-326 was the dominant compound. These results suggest that the production and usage of UV-326 in Hyogo Prefecture are greater than those of other BUVSs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that reports the presence of four BUVS substances (UV-320, UV-326, UV-327, and UV-328) in the atmosphere.
