Toxicity and hazard of a mixture of SSRIs to zooplankton communities evaluated in aquatic microcosms.
The toxicity and hazard of a mixture of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), including fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, and sertraline, to zooplankton communities were evaluated using 120,00l outdoor microcosms. Acute (day 4) and chronic (day 35) zooplankton abundance and species richness were assessed for Rotifera, Cladocera, and Copepoda. For acute SSRI exposures, rotifers were the most sensitive zooplankton taxa to changes in abundance (predicted no effect concentration (PNEC)=19 nM); however, no effects in zooplankton species richness were observed for this treatment period. A decrease in Copepoda abundance and species richness was observed following chronic exposures of SSRIs (PNEC=9.1 nM). A 99th-centile predicted environmental concentration (PEC=0.51 nM) yielded HQs at least two orders of magnitude below 1. Therefore, mixtures of SSRIs do not appear to present a hazard to zooplankton communities at environmentally relevant concentrations.
Laird
Brian D
BD
Centre for Toxicology, Canadian Network of Toxicology Centres (CNTC), University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1. brian.laird@usask.ca
Brain
Richard A
RA
Johnson
David J
DJ
Wilson
Christian J
CJ
Sanderson
Hans
H
Solomon
Keith R
KR
D000818:Animals; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000032:analysis*; D006256:Hazardous Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*; D015048:Zooplankton / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development
D006256:Hazardous Waste; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical