title: Mixtures of chemical pollutants at European legislation safety concentrations: how safe are they?
abstract: The risk posed by complex chemical mixtures in the environment to wildlife and humans is increasingly debated, but has been rarely tested under environmentally relevant scenarios. To address this issue, two mixtures of 14 or 19 substances of concern (pesticides, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, a surfactant, and a plasticizer), each present at its safety limit concentration imposed by the European legislation, were prepared and tested for their toxic effects. The effects of the mixtures were assessed in 35 bioassays, based on 11 organisms representing different trophic levels. A consortium of 16 laboratories was involved in performing the bioassays. The mixtures elicited quantifiable toxic effects on some of the test systems employed, including i) changes in marine microbial composition, ii) microalgae toxicity, iii) immobilization in the crustacean Daphnia magna, iv) fish embryo toxicity, v) impaired frog embryo development, and vi) increased expression on oxidative stress-linked reporter genes. Estrogenic activity close to regulatory safety limit concentrations was uncovered by receptor-binding assays. The results highlight the need of precautionary actions on the assessment of chemical mixtures even in cases where individual toxicants are present at seemingly harmless concentrations.
authors: European Commission-DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy.
authors: Raquel N
authors: RN
authors: Carvalho
authors: Norwegian University of Science & Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
authors: Augustine
authors: A
authors: Arukwe
authors: National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks, Verneuil en Halatte, France.
authors: Selim
authors: S
authors: Ait-Aissa
authors: National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks, Verneuil en Halatte, France Reims University, France.
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Bado-Nilles
authors: Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Rome, Italy.
authors: Stefania
authors: S
authors: Balzamo
authors: Department of Environmental Engineering,Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark.
authors: Anders
authors: A
authors: Baun
authors: Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
authors: Shimshon
authors: S
authors: Belkin
authors: Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, RECETOX, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors: Ludek
authors: L
authors: Blaha
authors: National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks, Verneuil en Halatte, France.
authors: François
authors: F
authors: Brion
authors: Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Rome, Italy.
authors: Daniela
authors: D
authors: Conti
authors: National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks, Verneuil en Halatte, France.
authors: Nicolas
authors: N
authors: Creusot
authors: Analytical and Environmental Sciences Division, King's College London, UK.
authors: Yona
authors: Y
authors: Essig
authors: European Commission-DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy.
authors: Valentina E V
authors: VE
authors: Ferrero
authors: Marine Biology Station Piran, National Institute of Biology, Slovenia.
authors: Vesna
authors: V
authors: Flander-Putrle
authors: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Fürhacker
authors: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
authors: Regina
authors: R
authors: Grillari-Voglauer
authors: Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences Division, King's College London, UK.
authors: Christer
authors: C
authors: Hogstrand
authors: Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, RECETOX, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors: Adam
authors: A
authors: Jonáš
authors: Life Science Center, Örebro University, Sweden.
authors: Joubert B
authors: JB
authors: Kharlyngdoh
authors: European Commission-DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy.
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Loos
authors: National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research, Bergen, Norway.
authors: Anne-Katrine
authors: AK
authors: Lundebye
authors: Life Science Center, Örebro University, Sweden.
authors: Carina
authors: C
authors: Modig
authors: Life Science Center, Örebro University, Sweden.
authors: Per-Erik
authors: PE
authors: Olsson
authors: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
authors: Smitha
authors: S
authors: Pillai
authors: Analytical and Environmental Sciences Division, King's College London, UK.
authors: Natasa
authors: N
authors: Polak
authors: Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Rome, Italy.
authors: Monica
authors: M
authors: Potalivo
authors: National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks, Verneuil en Halatte, France.
authors: Wilfried
authors: W
authors: Sanchez
authors: Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology, Eawag-EPFL, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Schifferli
authors: Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland ETH Zürich, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland EPF Lausanne, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors: Kristin
authors: K
authors: Schirmer
authors: Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale Vercelli Novara Alessandria, Alessandria, Italy.
authors: Susanna
authors: S
authors: Sforzini
authors: Analytical and Environmental Sciences Division, King's College London, UK.
authors: Stephen R
authors: SR
authors: Stürzenbaum
authors: National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research, Bergen, Norway.
authors: Liv
authors: L
authors: Søfteland
authors: Marine Biology Station Piran, National Institute of Biology, Slovenia.
authors: Valentina
authors: V
authors: Turk
authors: Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale Vercelli Novara Alessandria, Alessandria, Italy.
authors: Aldo
authors: A
authors: Viarengo
authors: Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology, Eawag-EPFL, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
authors: Inge
authors: I
authors: Werner
authors: Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
authors: Sharon
authors: S
authors: Yagur-Kroll
authors: Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, RECETOX, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors: Radka
authors: R
authors: Zounková
authors: European Commission-DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy teresa.lettieri@jrc.ec.europa.eu.
authors: Teresa
authors: T
authors: Lettieri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods; D005062:European Union; D033161:Government Regulation; D006801:Humans; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: bioassays; biomarkers; ecotoxicology; effects; mixtures