title: Probabilistic assessment of risks of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) in surface waters of China on reproduction of fish.
abstract: Diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is considered to be an endocrine disruptor, which unlike other chemicals that have either non-specific (e.g., narcotics) or more generalized reactive modes of action, affect the Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and tend to have specific interactions with particular molecular targets within biochemical pathways. Responding to this challenge, a novel method for deriving predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) and probabilistic ecological risk assessment (PERAs) for DEHP based on long-term exposure to potentially sensitive species with appropriate apical endpoints was development for protection of Chinese surface waters. PNECs based on potencies to cause lesions in reproductive tissues of fishes, which ranged from 0.04 to 0.20 μg DEHP L(-1), were significantly less than those derived based on other endpoints or other taxa, such as invertebrates. An assessment of risks posed by DEHP to aquatic organisms in surface waters of China showed that 88.17% and 78.85% of surface waters in China were predicted to pose risks to reproductive fitness of fishes with thresholds of protection for aquatic organisms based on 5% (HC5) and 10% (HC10), respectively. Assessment of risks of effects based on effects mediated by the HPG-axis should consider effects on chronic, non-lethal endpoints for specific taxa, especially for reproductive fitness of fishes.
authors.affiliation: School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, China.
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, China; China National Environmental Monitoring Center, Beijing, 100012, China.
authors.forename: Yeyao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: China National Environmental Monitoring Center, Beijing, 100012, China.
authors.forename: Yibing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: China National Environmental Monitoring Center, Beijing, 100012, China. Electronic address: jinxiaowei07@mails.ucas.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaowei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences and Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada; School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China; State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Giesy
authors.affiliation: Centre of Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate / Q000633:toxicity*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005399:Fishes / Q000502:physiology*; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000032:analysis; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*; D014881:Water Supply
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate
keywords: Asia; Ecological risk assessment; Endocrine disruption; Reproduction fitness; Species sensitivity distribution