Fish bioaccumulation and biomarkers in environmental risk assessment: a review

Occurrence and fate of hormone steroids in the environment.

This review provides a critical analysis of the biological effects of the most widely used plasticizers, including dibutyl phthalate, diethylhexyl phthalate, dimethyl phthalate, butyl benzyl phthalate and bisphenol A (BPA), on wildlife, with a focus on annelids (both aquatic and terrestrial), molluscs, crustaceans, insects, fish and amphibians. Moreover, the paper provides novel data on the biological effects of some of these plasticizers in invertebrates, fish and amphibians. Phthalates and BPA have been shown to affect reproduction in all studied animal groups, to impair development in crustaceans and amphibians and to induce genetic aberrations. Molluscs, crustaceans and amphibians appear to be especially sensitive to these compounds, and biological effects are observed at environmentally relevant exposures in the low ng l−1 to µg l−1 range. In contrast, most effects in fish (except for disturbance in spermatogenesis) occur at higher concentrations. Most plasticizers appear to act by interfering with the functioning of various hormone systems, but some phthalates have wider pathways of disruption. Effect concentrations of plasticizers in laboratory experiments coincide with measured environmental concentrations, and thus there is a very real potential for effects of these chemicals on some wildlife populations. The most striking gaps in our current knowledge on the impacts of plasticizers on wildlife are the lack of data for long-term exposures to environmentally relevant concentrations and their ecotoxicity when part of complex mixtures. Furthermore, the hazard of plasticizers has been investigated in annelids, molluscs and arthropods only, and given the sensitivity of some invertebrates, effects assessments are warranted in other invertebrate phyla.

/pdf/a-critical-analysis-of-the-biological-impacts-of-3bvo8mo00v.pdf

A critical analysis of the biological impacts of plasticizers on wildlife.

Bisphenol A exposure, effects, and policy: A wildlife perspective

The majority of insecticides currently in use are organophosphorus, carbamate, and synthetic pyrethroid compounds. Organophosphorus insecticides (OPs) produce toxicity by inhibiting the cholinesterase enzymes in the nervous system. Monitoring of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition has been widely used in terrestrial and freshwater aquatic systems as an indicator of OP exposure and effects. This review describes the use of AChE inhibition as a biomarker in the estuarine environment, discusses the relationship between AChE inhibition and other manifestations of OP toxicity, and highlights areas where additional research is needed. A variety of studies with estuarine fish have suggested that brain AChE inhibition levels of > 70% are associated with mortality in most species. Selected species, however, appear capable of tolerating much higher levels (> 90%) of brain inhibition. Sublethal effects on stamina have been reported for some estuarine fish in association with brain AChE inhibition levels as low as 50%. Most studies suggest, however, that these effects are observed only when brain AChE inhibition is at near-lethal levels. A number of field studies have successfully used AChE inhibition in fish as a biomarker in the estuarine environment. The use of AChE inhibition as a biomarker in estuarine invertebrates has been less well studied. Although AChE inhibition has been measured in the tissues of a variety of invertebrate species following OP exposure, the relationship between AChE inhibition and lethality is less distinct. Additional work is needed in both fish and invertebrates to better explain species-specific differences in the relationship between AChE inhibition and mortality and to investigate other physiological perturbations associated with AChE inhibition.

https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/etc.5620200104

Acetylcholinesterase inhibition in estuarine fish and invertebrates as an indicator of organophosphorus insecticide exposure and effects

The increasing preponderance of females in fish populations has become a matter of concern not only for scientists but also for environmental authorities. For example, in the extensive waterways in Berlin, Germany, 70% of the fish population is female. A twofold question should be asked: is the biomarker vitellogenin (vitellogenin-synthesis assay) an appropriate tool for determining endocrine effects (European Commission 1996) and of chemical pollutants in effluents (Castillo et al. 1997), such as estradiols, phthalates, alkyl-phenols, and alkyl-ethoxylates, influence sex differentiation in fish?

Peter-Diedrich Hansen

Papers

Vitellogenin : a biomarker for endocrine disruptors

Cholinesterases of marine teleost fish: enzymological characterization and potential use in the monitoring of neurotoxic contamination

Bioaccumulating substances and reproductive success in baltic flounder platichthys flesus

The cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of surface water and wastewater effluents as determined by bioluminescence, umu-assays and selected biomarkers.

Altered Cholinesterase and Monooxygenase Levels inDaphnia magnaandChironomus ripariusExposed to Environmental Pollutants