title: Ecotoxicity evaluation of selected sulfonamides.
abstract: Sulfonamides (SAs) are a group of antibiotic drugs widely used in veterinary medicine. The contamination of the environment by these pharmaceuticals has raised concern in recent years. However, knowledge of their (eco)toxicity is still very basic and is restricted to just a few of these substances. Even though their toxicological analysis has been thoroughly performed and ecotoxicological data are available in the literature, a systematic analysis of their ecotoxicological potential has yet to be carried out. To fill this gap, 12 different SAs were chosen for detailed analysis with the focus on different bacteria as well as non-target organisms (algae and plants). A flexible (eco)toxicological test battery was used, including enzymes (acetylcholinesterase and glutathione reductase), luminescent marine bacteria (Vibrio fischeri), soil bacteria (Arthrobacter globiformis), limnic unicellular green algae (Scenedesmus vacuolatus) and duckweed (Lemna minor), in order to take into account both the aquatic and terrestrial compartments of the environment, as well as different trophic levels. It was found that SAs are not only toxic towards green algae (EC₅₀=1.54-32.25 mg L⁻¹) but have even stronger adverse effect on duckweed (EC₅₀=0.02-4.89 mg L⁻¹) than atrazine - herbicide (EC₅₀=2.59 mg L⁻¹).
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Analysis, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland. abialk@chem.univ.gda.pl
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Białk-Bielińska
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stolte
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arning
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Uebers
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Böschen
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stepnowski
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matzke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology; D029064:Araceae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity; D054750:Ecotoxicology / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D013449:Sulfonamides