Acute toxicity of widely used pharmaceuticals in aquatic species: Gambusia holbrooki, Artemia parthenogenetica and Tetraselmis chuii.
Pharmaceuticals are continuously dispersed into the environment as a result of human and veterinary use, posing relevant environmental concerns. This study evaluated the acute toxicity of three therapeutic agents (diazepam, clofibrate, and clofibric acid) and a detergent (sodium dodecyl sulfate; SDS) in three aquatic species, namely the euryhaline fish Gambusia holbrooki, the hypersaline crustacean Artemia parthenogenetica, and the marine algae Tetraselmis chuii. The ranking of 50% lethal concentrations (LC50) for the two animal species and 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) for the algal species was, in decreasing order, clofibric acid > SDS > diazepam > clofibrate for G. holbrooki, clofibric acid > clofibrate > SDS > diazepam for A. parthenogenetica, and clofibric acid > clofibrate > SDS > diazepam for T. chuii. These differences show that the intrinsic nature of test organisms must be considered when evaluating the toxicity of these agents to aquatic ecosystems.
Nunes
B
B
ICBAS, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Departamento de Estudos de Populações, Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia, Universidade do Porto, Largo Prof. Abel Salazar, 2, 4099-003 Porto, Portugal. brunonunes@cimar.org
Carvalho
F
F
Guilhermino
L
L
D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000633:toxicity*; D001156:Artemia; D002994:Clofibrate / Q000633:toxicity*; D002995:Clofibric Acid / Q000633:toxicity*; D003532:Cyprinodontiformes; D003902:Detergents / Q000633:toxicity*; D003975:Diazepam / Q000633:toxicity*; D056890:Eukaryota; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D012016:Reference Values; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate / Q000633:toxicity*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D003902:Detergents; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; D002995:Clofibric Acid; D002994:Clofibrate; D003975:Diazepam