Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (Environ Toxicol Chem)

Publications in this journal

• Article: Letters to the editor.

  Stefania Del Piero
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 06/2013; 32(6):1215.
• Article: Letters to the editor.

  Peter M Chapman
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 06/2013; 32(6):1215.
• Article: The biotic ligand model approach for addressing effects of exposure water chemistry on aquatic toxicity of metals: Genesis and challenges.

  Russell J Erickson
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 06/2013; 32(6):1212-4.
• Article: Dynamics of contaminant accumulation in benthos: Route to understanding exposure to organic contaminants.

  Peter F Landrum, Michael J Lydy, Brian J Eadie
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 06/2013; 32(6):1209-11.
• Article: Dynamics and environmental risk assessment of the herbicide glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA in a small vineyard river of the Lake Geneva catchment.

  Silwan Daouk, Pierre-Jean Copin, Luca Rossi, Nathalie Chèvre, Hans-Rudolf Pfeifer
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  ABSTRACT: The use of pesticides may lead to environmental problems, such as surface water pollution, with a risk for aquatic organisms. In the present study, a typical vineyard river of western Switzerland was first monitored in order to measure discharged loads, identify sources and assess the dynamic of the herbicide glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA. Second, based on river concentrations, an associated environmental risk was calculated, using laboratory tests and ecotoxicity data from the literature. Measured concentrations confirmed the mobility of these molecules with elevated peaks during flood events, up to 4970 ng/L. From April to September 2011, a total load of 7.1 kg was calculated, with 85% coming from vineyards and minor urban sources and 15% from arable crops. Compared with existing literature, this load represents an important fraction (6-12%) of the estimated amount applied, due to the steep vineyard slopes (∼10%). The associated risk of these compounds towards aquatic species was found negligible in our case, as well as for other rivers in Switzerland. A growth stimulation was nevertheless observed for the algae Scenedesmus vacuolatus with low concentrations of glyphosate, which could indicate a risk of perturbation in aquatic ecosystems, such as eutrophication. Combining field and ecotoxicity data allowed to perform a realistic risk assessment for glyphosate and AMPA and should be applied to other pesticide molecules. Environ Toxicol Chem © 2013 SETAC.
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 05/2013;
• Article: Assessing bioavailability of DDT and metabolites in marine sediments using solid phase microextraction with performance reference compounds.

  Lian-Jun Bao, Fang Jia, J Crago, Eddy Y Zeng, D Schlenk, Jay Gan
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  ABSTRACT: Solid phase microextraction (SPME) has often been used to estimate the freely dissolved concentration (Cfree ) of organic contaminants in sediments. A significant limitation in the application of SPME for Cfree measurement is the requirement for attaining equilibrium partition that is often difficult for strongly hydrophobic compounds such as DDT. A method was developed using SPME with stable isotope-labeled analogues as performance reference compounds (PRCs) to measure Cfree of DDT and metabolites (DDTs) in marine sediments. Six (13) C-labeled or deuterated PRCs were impregnated into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fiber before use. Desorption of PRCs from PDMS fibers and absorption of DDTs from sediment were isotropic in a range of sediments evaluated ex situ under well-mixed conditions. When applied to a historically contaminated marine sediment from a Superfund site, the PRC-SPME method yielded Cfree values identical to those by a conventional equilibrium SPME approach (Eq-SPME), while the time for mixing was reduced from 9 d to only 9 h. The PRC-SPME method was further evaluated against bioaccumulation of DDTs by Neanthes arenaceodentata in the contaminated sediment with or without amendment of activated carbon or sand. Strong correlations were consistently found between the derived Cfree and lipid-normalized tissue residues for DDTs in the worms. Results from the present study clearly demonstrated the feasibility of coupling PRCs with SPME sampling to greatly shorten sampling time, thus affording much improved flexibility in the use of SPME for bioavailability evaluation. Environ Toxicol Chem © 2013 SETAC.
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 05/2013;
• Article: Low temperatures enhance the toxicity of Cu and Cd to Enchytraeus crypticus through different mechanisms.

  Nina Cedergreen, Nils Jakob Nørhave, Kristoffer Nielsen, Hanna K L Johansson, Helle Marcussen, Claus Svendsen, David J Spurgeon
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  ABSTRACT: Knowledge about how toxicity changes with temperature is important for determining the size of safety factors used when extrapolating from standard laboratory conditions to variable field scenarios. In this study we evaluated the toxicity of Cu and Cd to the potworm Enchytraeus crypticus at six temperatures in the range of 11-25°C. For both metals, reproductive toxicity decreased approximately 2.5-fold with increasing temperature. This is contrary to what has been found for most other studies. Measurements of the bioavailable fraction of the metals in the soils and the internal metal concentrations in the worms over time showed that the major cause for the change in toxicity with temperature for Cu was the ability of the worms to regulate internal concentration at high temperatures. Uptake of Cd increased with time at all temperatures and with higher rates at high temperatures. Hence, the lower toxicity of Cd is proposed to be due to the E. crypticus being more efficient at immobilising Cd and/or repairing damages at high compared to low temperatures. The study concludes that no consistent relationship between metal toxicity and temperature across species can be made, but that the metabolic dependence of the species in terms of regulating metal uptake, excretion, immobilisation, damage and repair processes will be crucial factors in determining species susceptibility to metals at varying temperatures. Environ Toxicol Chem © 2013 SETAC.
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 05/2013;
• Article: Effects of dispersed oil on reproduction in the cold water copepod Calanus finmarchicus (Gunnerus).

  Anders Johny Olsen, Trond Nordtug, Dag Altin, Morten Lervik, Bjørn Henrik Hansen
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  ABSTRACT: Following a 120 hours exposure period to three concentrations of oil dispersions (0.022, 1.8 and 16.5 mg L(-1) + controls) generated from a North Sea crude oil, and a subsequent 21 days recovery, mortality and several reproduction endpoints (egg production rates, egg hatching success, fraction of females participating in reproduction) in Calanus finmarchicus were studied. Concentration-dependent mortality was found during exposure, averaging to 6, 3, 15 and 42% for the controls and three exposure levels, respectively. At the start of the recovery period mean egg production rates of surviving females from the highest concentrations were very low, but reproduction subsequently improved. In a four-day single female reproduction test starting 13 days post exposure no significant differences in egg production rates or hatching success between reproducing control and exposed copepods were found. However, a significant lower portion of the surviving females from the highest exposure participated in egg production. The results indicate that although a short-term exposure for oil-polluted water after an oil spill can induce severe mortality and temporarily suspend reproduction, copepods may recover and produce viable offspring soon after cessation of exposure. The results may imply that for C. finmarchicus populations the impact from short term exposure to an oil spill may be predicted from acute mortality and that delayed effects have limited contribution to population decrease. Environ Toxicol Chem © 2013 SETAC.
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 05/2013;
• Article: Chronic toxicity of nickel-spiked freshwater sediments: Variation in toxicity among eight invertebrate taxa and eight sediments.

  John M Besser, William G Brumbaugh, Christopher G Ingersoll, Chris D Ivey, James L Kunz, Nile E Kemble, Christian E Schlekat, Emily Rogevich Garman
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  ABSTRACT: We evaluated the chronic toxicity of nickel-spiked freshwater sediments to benthic invertebrates. A two-step spiking procedure (spiking + sediment dilution) and a two-stage equilibration period (10 weeks anaerobic + 1 week aerobic) was used to spike 8 freshwater sediments with wide ranges of acid-volatile sulfide (AVS; 0.94-38 µmol/g) and total organic carbon (TOC; 0.42-10%). Chronic sediment toxicity tests were conducted with 8 invertebrates (Hyalella azteca, Gammarus pseudolimnaeus, Chironomus riparius, Chironomus dilutus, Hexagenia sp., Lumbriculus variegatus, Tubifex tubifex, and Lampsilis siliquoidea) in 2 spiked sediments. Nickel toxicity thresholds estimated from species-sensitivity distributions were 97 µg/g and 752 µg/g (total-recoverable nickel; dry wt. basis) for sediments with low and high concentrations of AVS and TOC, respectively. Sensitive species were tested with 6 additional sediments. Twenty-percent effect concentrations (EC20s) for Hyalella and Gammarus, but not Hexagenia, were consistent with US Environmental Protection Agency benchmarks based on nickel in pore water and in simultaneously extracted metals (SEM) normalized to AVS and TOC. For Hexagenia, sediment EC20s increased at less than an equimolar basis with increased AVS, and toxicity occurred in several sediments with SEM > AVS. We hypothesize that circulation of oxygenated water by Hexagenia led to oxidation of AVS in burrows, creating microenvironments with high nickel exposure. Despite these unexpected results, a strong relationship between Hexagenia EC20s and AVS could provide a basis for conservative site-specific sediment quality guidelines for nickel. Environ Toxicol Chem © 2013 SETAC.
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 05/2013;
• Article: Preparation and characterization of nickel-spiked freshwater sediments for toxicity tests: Toward more environmentally realistic nickel partitioning.

  William G Brumbaugh, John M Besser, Christopher G Ingersoll, Thomas W May, Chris D Ivey, Christian E Schlekat, Emily Rogevich Garman
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  ABSTRACT: We compared two spiking methods and evaluated nickel (Ni) partitioning during a series of toxicity tests with eight different freshwater sediments having a range of physico-chemical characteristics. A two-step spiking approach with immediate pH adjustment by addition of NaOH at a 2:1 molar ratio to the spiked Ni was effective in producing consistent pH and other chemical characteristics across a range of Ni spiking levels. When Ni was spiked into sediment having a high acid-volatile sulfide (AVS) and organic matter content, a total equilibration period of at least 10 weeks was needed to stabilize Ni partitioning. However, highest spiking levels evidently exceeded sediment binding capacities; therefore, a 7-d equilibration in toxicity test chambers and 8 volume-additions/day of aerobic overlying water was used to avoid unrealistic Ni partitioning during toxicity testing. The 7-d pre-test equilibration allowed "excess" spiked Ni and other ions from pH adjustment to diffuse from sediment pore water and promoted development of an environmentally relevant, 0.5 to 1-cm oxic/sub-oxic sediment layer in the test chambers. Among the eight different spiked sediments, the logarithm of sediment/pore water distribution coefficient values (log Kd ) for Ni during the toxicity tests ranged from 3.5 to 4.5. These Kd values closely match the range of values reported for various field Ni-contaminated sediments, indicating that testing conditions with our spiked sediments were environmentally realistic. Environ Toxicol Chem © 2013 SETAC.
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 05/2013;
• Article: The interactive effect of an emerging infectious disease and an emerging contaminant on Woodhouse's toad (Anaxyrus woodhousii) tadpoles.

  Jennifer R Brown, Tyler Miiller, Jacob L Kerby
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  ABSTRACT: Two factors influencing amphibian population declines are infectious diseases and exposure to anthropogenic contaminants. We examined an emerging fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), and its interaction with an emerging contaminant, the antimicrobial triclosan. We first conducted, a two x two x four factorial study to examine the interactive impacts of dragonfly predator cues, Bd, and triclosan (0, 10, 100, 1000 µg/L) on Woodhouse's toad (Anaxyrus woodhousii) tadpoles. We measured the lethal and sub-lethal impacts of these stressors on tadpoles over four weeks. All tadpoles in the 100 and 1000 µg/L concentrations of triclosan died within 24 h of exposure, but tadpoles in the low concentration (10 µg/L) survived. Tadpoles exposed to only Bd (no triclosan) exhibited a low survival rate (67.5%) while those exposed to both 10µg/L triclosan and Bd exhibited a high survival rate (91.1%) implying that triclosan inhibits Bd on tadpoles. Bd and predator cue exposure individually increased the developmental rate of the surviving tadpoles but this effect was absent when these factors were combined with triclosan. In a follow-up study we found Bd growth in culture was significantly inhibited at 10 µg/L concentration of triclosan and completely inhibited at 100 µg/L. These findings suggest that interactions among multiple stressors can be complex and require examination in conjunction with one another to evaluate actual impacts to aquatic fauna. Environ Toxicol Chem © 2013 SETAC.
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 05/2013;
• Article: Microbial community structure and functioning along metal pollution gradients.

  Hamed Azarbad, Maria Niklińska, Cornelis A M van Gestel, Nico M van Straalen, Wilfred F M Röling, Ryszard Laskowski
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  ABSTRACT: Toxic effects of heavy metals on soil microorganisms have been confirmed in a number of laboratory studies. However, most real-field studies do not allow for strong general conclusions due to a range of problems, such as pseudoreplication and confounding factors, which are almost impossible to control for with the most commonly used polluted-vs.-unpolluted or random sampling designs. Effects of metal contamination on soil microbial community traits were measured along two pollution gradients in Southern Poland. Employing an experimental regression design, using two separate gradients, we aimed to control for effects of soil properties and beta-diversity of microbial communities. General microbial activity was measured as soil basal respiration rate (BAS) and substrate-induced respiration (SIR), while microbial functional and structural diversity were analyzed with Community-Level Physiological Profiles (CLPP) and Phospholipid Fatty Acid (PLFA) patterns, respectively. Metal concentrations were normalized to their toxicity and integrated in a Toxicity Index (TI). Microbial activity (BAS and SIR) decreased in both gradients with increasing TI. CLPPs for fungi correlated positively with TI, but no impact of TI on the CLPPs of bacteria was observed. The PLFAs a:15 and i:17 were positively correlated, while 16:1ω9 and 18:2ω9 were negatively correlated with TI. The use of two gradients (Olkusz and Miasteczko Śląskie) allowed us to reveal a clear effect of pollution on general microbial structure and activities, even though we were not able to control completely for all confounding factors. Soil pH, organic matter content and nutrient level appeared to be at least as important as TI in determining microbial community structure and activities. Environ Toxicol Chem © 2013 SETAC.
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 05/2013;
• Article: Transfer kinetics of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) from water and sediment to a marine benthic fish, the marbled flounder (Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae).

  Takeo Sakurai, Jun Kobayashi, Kyoko Kinoshita, Nozomi Ito, Shigeko Serizawa, Hiroaki Shiraishi, Jeong-Hoon Lee, Toshihiro Horiguchi, Hideaki Maki, Kaoruko Mizukawa, Yoshitaka Imaizumi, Toru Kawai, Noriyuki Suzuki
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  ABSTRACT: We investigated the kinetics of transfer of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) from water, suspended sediment, and bottom sediment, to a marine benthic fish, the marbled flounder (Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae). Fish were exposed in three treatments to PFOS in combinations of these exposure media for 28 days, and then depurated for 84 days. A major part (37%-66%) of PFOS in the fish was in the carcass (i.e., whole body minus muscle and internal organs). Three first-order-kinetic models that differed in exposure media, i.e., (I) sum of dissolved and particulate phases, and sediment; (II) dissolved phase, particulate phase, and sediment, and (III) dissolved phase only, were fitted to the data assuming common rate constants among the treatments. The uptake efficiency of dissolved PFOS at the respiratory surfaces was estimated to be 3.2% that of oxygen, and the half-life of PFOS in fish whole body 29 to 31 d. The better fit of models (I) and (II) and the values of the estimated uptake rate constants suggested that the PFOS in suspended and bottom sediments, in addition to that dissolved in water, contributed to the observed body burden of the fish. Based on an evaluation of several possible contributing factors to the uptake of PFOS from suspended and bottom sediments, we propose that further investigation is necessary regarding the mechanisms responsible for the uptake. Environ Toxicol Chem © 2013 SETAC.
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 05/2013;
• Article: Gene expression responses for detecting sublethal effects of xenobiotics and whole effluents on a Xenopus laevis embryo assay.

  Laura San Segundo, Federica Martini, M Victoria Pablos
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  ABSTRACT: In the present study, we investigated the effects of bisphenol A, chlorpyrifos, methylparaben and 2 effluent samples from wastewater treatment plants located in the province of Madrid (Spain) on the mRNA expression of specific genes involved in early development (ESR1, pax6, bmp4 and myf5) and a gene involved in general stress response (hsp70) during Xenopus laevis embryo development. Gene expressions were analyzed after 4, 24 and 96 h of exposure by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Concentrations ranges of the compounds and dilutions for the samples were selected to cause morphological alterations in embryos after 96 h of exposure. Transcript levels of ESR1, pax6, and hsp70 were differentially altered at early developmental stages with patterns specific to the contaminant and the exposure time. However, further studies are needed to establish transcript levels of specific genes as biomarkers of sublethal effects in an environmental risk assessment framework. Besides, studies including more generic responses, such as genes encoding antioxidant enzymes, together with genes related to embryonic development have to be developed in order to look for a battery of mechanistic endpoints for the evaluation of the chemical exposure at molecular level in a first tier assessment. Environ Toxicol Chem © 2013 SETAC.
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 05/2013;
• Article: Influence of heavy metals on Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase interactions in Chironomus riparius larvae.

  Isaac Wai King Chong, Wing Shing Ho
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  ABSTRACT: Some aquatic organisms can live in contaminated environment due to their adaptable defense mechanism related to their inducible detoxification and excretion. Recent study showed Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) can modulate different cellular activities including transcription activation and detoxification. In the present study, we report on experiments to test the GAPDH activity of Chironomus riparius towards heavy metals. GAPDH was isolated and purified from Chironomus riparius. The kinetics of the enzyme was measured. The results showed that GAPDH was inhibited by heavy metals including Co(2+) , Cu(2+) , Fe(2+) , Ni(2+) , Pb(2+) , but was activated by zinc ions. The kinetics study of the enzyme showed Vmax of GAPDH increased by 50%. Also the substrate and cofactor affinity increased in the presence of zinc. The GAPDH from Chironomus riparius had maximum activities at pH 8.5 and 37 °C. The protein sequence analysis shows that there are two additional cysteine and histidine residues in the conserved region of GAPDH from Chironomus riparius, which is believed to play an important role in the interactions with heavy metals. The results suggest that exposure to zinc could modulate GAPDH which could be related to response of antioxidant defense to other heavy metals. Environ Toxicol Chem © 2013 SETAC.
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 04/2013;
• Article: Occurrence and degree of intersex (testis-ova) in darters (Etheostoma spp.) across an urban gradient in the Grand River, Ontario, Canada.

  Rajiv N Tanna, Gerald R Tetreault, Charles J Bennett, Brendan M Smith, Leslie M Bragg, Ken D Oakes, Mark E McMaster, Mark R Servos
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  ABSTRACT: The variability and extent of the intersex condition (oocytes in testes or testis-ova) in fish along an urban gradient, that included major wastewater treatment plant outfalls, was documented in the Grand River, Ontario, Canada. A rapid enumeration of testis-ova method (RETO) was developed and applied that increased the capacity to quantify both intersex prevalence and severity. Male Rainbow Darters (Etheostoma caeruleum) sampled downstream of the first major wastewater outfall (Waterloo) had a significant increase, relative to four upstream reference sites, in the mean proportion of fish with at least one testis-oocyte (t.o.) per lobe of testes (9-20% proportion with ≤ 1 t.o./lobe vs. 32-53% and >1.4 t.o./lobe). A much higher mean incidence of intersex proportion and degree was observed immediately downstream of the second wastewater outfall (Kitchener; 73-100% and 8-70 t.o./lobe) but only 6.3 km downstream of the Kitchener outfall the occurrence of intersex drops to those of the reference sites. In contrast, downstream of a tertiary treated wastewater outfall on a small tributary intersex was similar to reference sites. Estrogenicity, measured using a Yeast Estrogen Screen (YES), followed a similar pattern increasing from 0.81 ± 0.02 ng/L EEq (Guelph), to 4.32 ± 0.07 ng/L (Waterloo), and 16.99 ± 0.40 ng/L (Kitchener) respectively. Female Rainbow Darter downstream of the Kitchener outfall showed significant decreases in gonadosomatic index (GSI) and liver somatic index (LSI), and increases in condition factor (k) relative to corresponding reference sites. The prevalence of intersex and alterations in somatic indices suggest that exposure to municipal wastewater effluent discharges can impact endocrine function, energy use, and energy storage in wild fish. Environ Toxicol Chem © 2013 SETAC.
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 04/2013;
• Article: Reproductive success of Belted Kingfishers on the upper Hudson River.

  Eli S Bridge, Jeffrey F Kelly
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  ABSTRACT: Belted Kingfishers (Megaceryle alcyon) are predators in many North American aquatic ecosystems, and as such they are prone to bioaccumulation of certain environmental contaminants. In 2002 and 2004, kingfisher eggs collected near the upper Hudson River in New York had elevated concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and the kingfisher population in this area was reported to be at risk because of PCB exposure. From 2007 to 2009, we monitored 69 kingfisher nests on the Hudson River to track both nest success and survival of individual nestlings. The study site consisted of two adjacent sections of the Hudson River, one upstream and one downstream of a historic PCB source. We compared models of nest success that differentially incorporated four variables that we deemed most likely to affect reproductive output: 1) river section (upstream vs. downstream of PCB source), 2) year, 3) hatch date, and 4) abandonment by one parent. After ranking models according to Akaike's Information Criterion for small sample sizes it was clear that parental abandonment was the most important of the factors we examined. River section was not an important parameter, and overall nesting success was slightly higher in the PCB contaminated section than in the upstream area. These findings support the conclusion that kingfisher productivity is not adversely impacted by PCB contamination in the Upper Hudson River. Environ Toxicol Chem © 2013 SETAC.
  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 04/2013;