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Description
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The BalatonUV–Eq model is a multiparametric emission framework developed to estimate recreational sunscreen-derived organic UV-filter (OUVF) inputs into Lake Balaton, the largest shallow freshwater lake in Central Europe. The model quantifies daily (ΣUV_day) and seasonal (ΣUV_season) loads of OUVFs entering surface water via direct wash-off during bathing activities. BalatonUV–Eq integrates behavioural survey data, demographic weighting, sunscreen formulation characteristics, and physicochemical wash-off factors within a transparent and reproducible mathematical structure. The model applies scenario-based parameterization (low, medium, high recreational use) to estimate upper-bound and order-of-magnitude contaminant loads under realistic bathing conditions. This framework provides the first recreational-use-based emission estimation for OUVFs in a large European freshwater lake and offers a transferable approach for contaminant load modelling, exposure assessment, and environmental risk analysis in shallow lake systems worldwide. |