Nonylphenol

【甯瑋瑜╱台北報導】環境賀爾蒙「壬基苯酚」 (Nonylphenol，簡稱NP)可能傷害兒童生殖系統。繼衛生署限制洗碗劑所含NP上限濃度，不得超過0.1%後，日前再預告將洗面乳、沐浴乳，一併納入上限管制範圍內，最快下月中公告實施。

過量恐傷生殖器官
陽明大學環境衛生研究所所長陳美蓮受訪時表示，動物實驗已證實NP會使母鼠受孕率降低、公鼠睪丸變小，NP替代品多，廠商應更換。林口長庚醫院臨床毒物科主任林杰樑說，兒童最好不要接觸這類環境荷爾蒙，以免有傷害生殖系統的危機。
衛 生署藥政處官員說，沐浴乳、洗面乳加添NP，主要作用是加強清潔效果。因洗面乳、沐浴乳不含藥，現在是不需查驗登記，因此無法掌握國內產品是否含NP。官 員說，NP成本低，來路不明販售洗臉與沐浴產品，可能會含有NP。民眾選購時，可觀察產品外包裝是否有「Nonylphenol」成分。
衛生署目前正開放外界回覆意見，若無疑義，六月中公告實施。公告日起新製造、輸入洗面乳與沐浴乳產品，都須符合不得超過0.1%濃度上限規定，否則應下架。

壬基苯酚小檔案
作用：清潔劑主成分一種，成本低、洗潔力強
可能危害：老鼠實驗證實會危害生殖系統，母鼠受孕率下降、公鼠睪丸變小，兒童長期接觸恐傷害生殖系統
規範：衛署擬6月中公告，洗面乳、洗髮乳、沐浴乳等用品，所含壬基苯酚濃度不得超過0.1％，違者產品須下架
資料來源：衛生署、陽明大學環境衛生研究所所長陳美蓮

Nonylphenol is an organic compound of the wider family of alkylphenols. It is a product of industrial synthesis formed during the alkylation process of phenols, particularly in the synthesis of polyethoxylate detergents. Because of their man-made origins, nonylphenols are classified as xenobiotics. In nonylphenols, a hydrocarbon chain of nine carbon atoms is attached to the phenol ring in either the ortho (2), meta (3), or para (4) position, with the most common ring isomers being ortho or para (e.g. figure 1 para-nonylphenol). Moreover, the alkyl chains can exist as either linear n-alkyl chains, or complex branched chains. Nonylphenol is commonly obtained as a mixture of isomers, and is thus usually found as a pale yellow liquid at room temperature with a freezing point of -10°C and a boiling point of 295-320°C. However, pure isomers of nonylphenol crystallize readily at room temperatures and for example, para-n-nonylphenol, forms white crystals at room temperature.

Ethoxylated alkylphenols, alkylphenol ethoxylates (APE), are used as industrial surfactants in manufacture of wool and metal, as emulsifiers for emulsion polymerization, in laboratory detergents, and pesticides. APEs are a component of some household detergents outside of Europe; within Europe, due to environmental concerns, they are replaced by more expensive but safer alcohol ethoxylates.

Nonoxynol-9, one of the APEs, is used as a surfactant in cleaning and cosmetic products, and as a spermicide in contraceptives.

Nonylphenol, and a related compound tert-octylphenol, were first detected as an air pollutant in New York City and New Jersey, probably due to its evaporation from the Hudson river and other smaller rivers in the region that routinely receive municipal wastewaters. It is possible that the atmosphere is a destructive sink for nonylphenol as it is probably reactive with atmospheric radicals and/or is photoactive.

Nonylphenol and nonyphenol ethoxylates have been banned in the European Union as a hazard to human and environmental safety.

Biochemically, p-nonylphenol and many of its derivatives act as a xenoestrogen.