Toxicological evaluation of carbamazepine active pharmaceutical ingredient with Lepidium sativum, Daphnia magna and Vibrio fischeri toxicity test methods

Pharmaceuticals have been found extensively within an aquatic environment. Carbamazepine was one of them that was found at the highest frequency and amounts. The persistence of these micropollutants in the environment is of concern because of a combination of characteristics, which includes the toxicity of humans and animal health. In this study, acute toxicity from carbamazepine, which is regularly used in anti-epileptic pharmaceuticals, was investigated using Lepidium sativum (L. sativum), Daphnia magna (D. magna), and Vibrio fischeri (V. fischeri) toxicity test methods. These different toxicity test methods were used and their sensitivities were compared. The results obtained from all experiments were evaluated according to the applied method. Accordingly, electrical conductivity (EC50) (the 50% effect concentration) values ranged from 9.53 to 94.39 mg/L. The test results were expressed as toxic unit (TU) which were calculated as 1.05 for L. sativum, 10.49 for D. magna, and 2.7 for V. fischeri. According to the TU values, sensitivities were D. magna > V. fischeri > L. sativum, respectively. The most sensitive values were obtained from D. magna toxicity test method.