Toxicity of triphenyltin and tributyltin to the freshwater mudsnail Potamopyrgus antipodarum in a new sediment biotest.
The effects of two suspected endocrine-disrupting chemicals, the xeno-androgens triphenyltin (TPT) and tributyltin (TBT), were investigated in a new whole-sediment biotest with the freshwater mudsnail Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia). Artificial sediments were spiked with seven concentrations, ranging from 10 to 500 microg nominal TPT-Sn/kg dry weight and TBT-Sn/kg dry weight, respectively. We analyzed the responses of the test species after two, four, and eight weeks exposure. For both compounds, P. antipodarum exhibited a sharp decline in the number of embryos sheltered in its brood pouch in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in comparison to the control sediment. The number of new, still unshelled embryos turned out to be the most sensitive parameter. The lowest-observed-effect concentration (LOEC) was equivalent to the lowest administered concentration (10 microg/kg of each test compound) for most parameters and thus no no-observed-effect concentration (NOEC) could be established. The calculation of effect concentrations (EC10) resulted in even lower values for both substances (EC10 after eight weeks for unshelled embryos: 0.03 microg TPT-Sn/kg, EC10 after four weeks for unshelled embryos: 0.98 microg TBT-Sn/kg). Our results indicate that P. antipodarum is highly sensitive to both endocrine disruptors TPT and TBT at environmentally relevant concentrations.
Duft
Martina
M
International Graduate School (IHI) Zittau, Chair of Environmental Technology, Department of Ecotoxicology, Markt 23, D-02763 Zittau, Germany. duft@ihi-zittau.de
Schulte-Oehlmann
Ulrike
U
Tillmann
Michaela
M
Markert
Bernd
B
Oehlmann
Jörg
J
D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D001681:Biological Assay; D047108:Embryonic Development; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D019055:No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level; D009947:Organotin Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D012908:Snails / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D009947:Organotin Compounds; D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C011559:tributyltin; C030665:triphenyltin