Frontiers in Bioscience-Elite (FBE) is published by IMR Press from Volume 13 Issue 2 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.
The impact of aromatic amines on the environment: risks and damages
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Academic Editor: King-Thom Chung
Aromatic amines are a group of chemicals whose ubiquitous presence in the environment is a result of the multitude of sources from which they originate. These compounds are widely used as raw materials or at intermediate stages in the manufacturing of industrial chemicals such as pesticides, medicines, dyestuffs, polymers, surfactants, cosmetics and corrosion inhibitors, especially in dyestuff factories. As with most chemical carcinogens, aromatic amines need to be metabolized into reactive electrophiles in order to exert their carcinogenic effects. This activation typically involves N-oxidation of arylamines to yield N-hydroxyarylamines. Since these amines are potential carcinogenic agents and are discharged into the atmosphere, water and soil, they constitute an important class of environmental pollutants of enormous concern due to the potential for human exposure.