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Tiered Approach for the Evaluation of Environmental Impacts of Triclosan on Aquatic Ecosystems

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Tiered Approach for the Evaluation of Environmental Impacts of Triclosan on Aquatic Ecosystems https://doi.org/10.3311/PPch.12826 Creative Commons Attribution b |403 Periodica Polytechnica Chemical Engineering, 62(4), pp. 403–414, 2018 Tiered Approach for the Evaluation of Environmental Impacts of Triclosan on Aquatic Ecosystems Ildikó Fekete-Kertész1*, Flóra Lukács1, Zsófia Berkl1, Mónika Molnár1 1 Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, H-1111 Budapest, Szent Gellért sqr. 4., Hungary * Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected] Received: 13 July 2018, Accepted: 30 August 2018, Published online: 11 October 2018 Abstract The synthetic broad-spectrum antibacterial agent triclosan is one of the most commonly encountered emerging micro-pollutant in the aquatic environment due to the extensive use since 1968 mainly in cosmetics and household cleaning products and the partial elimination from wastewater. Its low water solubility, high sorption coefficient to organic matter, accumulation potential in fatty tissues and its low acute toxicity determined by conventional ecotoxicological tests suggest that its risk is more related to chronic effects requiring risk assessment based on more sensitive ecotoxicological methods. In this paper the short- and midterm ecotoxicological effects of triclosan were investigated using various test systems taking into account ecological complexity and environmental relevance. Acute single-species, simplified microcosm experiments and complex multi-species microcosm experiments were conducted with the determination of sublethal physiological and behavioral endpoints including the Daphnia magna heartbeat rate and feeding activity, the Heterocypris incongruens movement parameters and the Lemna minor chlorophyll content and root length. All physiological and behavioral endpoints indicated sensitively the adverse effect of triclosan in the concentration range of 4–25.6 µg/L. In some cases, responses of selected organisms in single-species laboratory tests did not correspond to those of the higher levels of test systems. Daphnia sensitivity increased with the level of the test system for all chosen endpoints except the heartbeat rate. Considering the varying ecological complexity of the assembled test systems, according to our results the exposure time and the different combinations of exposure routes were the most decisive parameters in terms of triclosan ecotoxicity and endpoint sensitivity. Keywords ecotoxicology, triclosan, aquatic microcosm, physiological endpoints, behavioral endpoints 1 Introduction The adverse effects of aquatic micro-pollutants and their wastewater treatment plants, it is reported to be one of the fate and behavior in the environment are widely studied most commonly encountered emerging micro-pollutant in recently [1, 2]. Triclosan (5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophe- solid and water environmental compartments [4]. It has noxy) phenol) is a synthetic broad-spectrum antibacterial been detected ubiquitously in various aquatic environ- agent categorized as a halogenated aromatic hydrocar- ments such as lakes, rivers, coastal and estuarine waters, bon having phenolic, diphenyl ether and polychlorinated sediments, drinking water and even in living aquatic biphenyl substructures [3]. It has been used since 1968 as organisms [6-8] in ng/L–µg/L concentrations [9, 10]. an antiseptic, disinfectant, and preservative in household Its toxicity can be attributed to its high hydrophobicity, consumer products (cosmetics, cleaning products) and hence its accumulation potential in fatty tissues. In the waste- in clinical settings incorporated on the surface of medi- water treatment plants and on its way to the environment, cal devices [4] with an estimated annual usage of 1000 t triclosan undergoes various transformation processes due to per year in the EU [5]. Triclosan is mainly released into artificial (chlorination) and natural phenomena (e.g. biologi- the environment via the use of consumer products, which cal methylation, photooxidation) as a consequence, triclosan in most cases are externally applied to the human body, may be transformed into ecotoxicologically more toxic and thus triclosan generally is not subjected to metabolic alter- persistent compounds, such as chlorinated phenols, biphenyl ation [3]. Due to the partial elimination of triclosan in ethers, methyl triclosan and chlorinated dibenzodioxins [4]. Cite this article as: Fekete-Kertész, I., Lukács, F., Berkl, Zs., Molnár, M. "Tiered Approach for the Evaluation of Environmental Impacts of Triclosan on Aquatic Ecosystems", Periodica Polytechnica Chemical Engineering, 62(4), pp. 403–414, 2018. https://doi.org/10.3311/PPch.12826 Fekete-Kertész et al. 404|Period. Polytech. Chem. Eng., 62(4), pp. 403–414, 2018 Several standard aquatic toxicity studies reported about ecotoxicological endpoints are important for risk assess- the toxic effect of triclosan to bacteria, crustaceans, fish ment of aquatic environments in order to explore hidden and photosynthetic organisms, such as microalgae and toxic effects other than the conventional lethality, immo- higher aquatic plants with the following EC50 values: bilization or reproduction. Therefore, the aim of this study Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition at 150 μg/L, was to assess and compare the adverse effects of triclosan Daphnia magna mortality at 390 μg/L, Pimephales pro- in single- and multi-species ecotoxicity tests with varying melas mortality at 260 μg/L, Scenedesmus subspicatus environmental relevance considering the following expo- growth inhibition at 1.4 μg/L and Lemna gibba growth sure routes: direct exposure, exposure via food-absorbed inhibition at 62.5 μg/L [11]. contaminant uptake and considering the partition of the Today emerging health concerns of triclosan and its contaminant between the water- and the artificial sedi- by-products, are related to the endocrine disruption, allergic ment phase. In this purpose photosynthetic and animal effect, dermal irritations, altered thyroid hormone metabo- test organisms were selected of different trophic levels lism and tumor development or microbial resistance [12-14]. representing free-swimming and benthic bottom-dwell- Due to the low acute ecotoxicity determined with con- ing species as well. ventional ecotoxicological methods and the lack of data about its chronic adverse effects on the ecosystem and 2 Materials and methods human health, triclosan is not considered as a pollut- 2.1 Materials ant with high priority concerns unlike other emerging Triclosan (CAS Number: 3380-34-5, PHR1338-1G) was micro-pollutants sharing the same structure and pharma- purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. The use of solvents was ceutical activity such as chlorinated organic compounds not necessary as triclosan is water soluble in the tested con- and endocrine disruptors. This leads to uncontrolled use centration range. For the acute ecotoxicity tests triclosan of this molecule and the increase of its concentration in the was dissolved in distilled water (pH = 6.40; EC = 9 µS), aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem. while for the simplified and complex microcosm studies Due to its low water solubility (12 mg/L at 25 °C) and triclosan was dissolved in natural surface water (Collection its high sorption coefficient (KOC = 18408) triclosan may site: Lake Balaton, Alsóörs, Hungary, approx. 300 m from adsorb to the sediment in natural water matrices. However, the coastline, pH = 8.65, EC = 620 µS). its potential adverse effects on bottom-dwelling aquatic The tested concentration of triclosan in the three differ- organisms are not well studied [3]. ent test systems is summarized in Table 1. Its bioconcentration factor (BCF = 2.7–90) in aquatic organisms shows clearly that the risk may be more related 2.2 Applied test organisms to chronic effect (due to bioaccumulation) than acute 2.2.1 Daphnia magna cultures impact, however existing literature data shows that the A colony of Daphnia magna cultured in the laboratory ecosystems can be disturbed even at environmental con- was used in a series of experiments. The test animals centrations after acute exposure as well [3]. were cultured in 5 L beakers in a 21.5 ± 1 °C thermostatic Ecological effect assessment aims at evaluating or pre- chamber with 16:8 h light: dark cycle (illumination: Juwel dicting the effects of a chemical compound on the structure Aquarium, Day-Lite, 15 W, 438 mm lamp, 560 Lumen, and function of the ecosystem and these higher-level effects 6500 K) and fed everyday by 2 mL of alga suspension of are usually estimated by extrapolation of single-species Table 1 Tested concentration of triclosan in the three different effect data [15]. It has been recognized that other interme- test systems diate approaches, like simple multi-species studies between Triclosan concentration [µg/L] standard aquatic toxicity tests and microcosm or field studies Simplified, Complex, Acute, small volume multi-species might provide valuable data for environmental risk assess- Test organism single-species microcosm microcosm ecotoxicity tests ment. A range of laboratory higher tier approaches have experiments experiments been reported that are intermediate in complexity incorpo- Daphnia 4–2,000 25.6–1,000 20–2,000 rating realistic exposure scenarios into laboratory studies magna such as simple multi-species studies [16]. Heterocypris 20–2,000 25.6–1,000 20–2,000 Studies of short-, mid- and long term effects of tri- incongruens closan with more sensitive physiological and behavioral Lemna
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