Concentration levels of benzophenones in raw sheep’s wool

Benzophenones (BPs) are widely utilized across various industrial sectors, leading to environmental contamination and bioaccumulation in living organisms, where they act as endocrine disruptors. Despite their ubiquity, data regarding BP exposure in livestock remain remarkably scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the concentrations of selected BPs (BP-1, BP-2, BP-3, and BP-8) in raw sheep wool. Wool samples were collected from sheep reared near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and analyzed via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).The analysis revealed that BP-3 and BP-1 were the most prevalent analytes in raw sheep wool. Specifically, BP-3 was detected in all examined samples, with concentrations ranging from 2.1 to 32.8 ng/g (median: 8.2 ng/g; mean ± SD: 9.5 ± 5.6 ng/g). BP-1 exceeded the method quantification limit (MQL) in 72% of the analyzed samples, reaching concentrations up to 560.0 ng/g (median: 49.9 ng/g; mean ± SD: 95.7 ± 128.5 ng/g). Conversely, BP-2 and BP-8 were detected less frequently and at substantially lower concentrations. These findings demonstrate that sheep are exposed to BPs, with accumulation patterns exhibiting distinct regional variations. Furthermore, this study is the first to report that raw wool accumulates BP contamination over the animal’s lifespan, thereby potentially constituting an indirect route of human exposure.