4.7 Article

The environmental risks of pharmaceuticals beyond traditional toxic effects: Chemical differences that can repel or entrap aquatic organisms

Journal

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
Volume 268, Issue -, Pages -

Publisher

ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115902

Keywords

Aquatic contamination; Attractiveness; Avoidance test; Emerging contaminants; Repellency

Funding

  1. Coordination of Superior Level Staff Improvement (CAPES)
  2. National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)
  3. Foundation for Research Support of the State of Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG)
  4. Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG)
  5. Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation [RYC-2017-22324]

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This study aimed to evaluate the risks of four different pharmaceutical active compounds, showing that omeprazole was acutely toxic, while other PhACs exhibited chronic toxicity. The study also found that the chemicals' mode of action seemed to determine their repellency or attractiveness, highlighting the potential environmental disturbance they may cause.
The aim of the present study was to assess the risks of four different pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs; diazepam, metformin, omeprazole and simvastatin). Acute and chronic toxicities were studied using the bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri and the microalgae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata; while the repellency and attractiveness were assessed by avoidance tests with juvenile Cypirinus carpio using a multi-compartmented exposure system. Omeprazole was found to be an acutely toxic drug (EC50: 0.015 mg/L), while the other PhACs, except simvastatin, showed some chronic toxicity. Regarding avoidance, simvastatin and omeprazole induced an escape response for 50% of the fish population at 0.032 and 0.144 mg/L, respectively; contrarily, diazepam was attractive, even at lethal concentrations, representing a dangerous trap for organisms. The toxicity of the PhACs seemed not to be directly related to their repellency; and the mode of action seems to determine the repellency or attractiveness of the chemicals. Contamination by PhACs is of concern due to the environmental disturbance they might cause, either due to their acute and chronic toxicity (at the individual level), repellency (at the ecosystem level: loss of local biodiversity) or attraction to potentially lethal levels. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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