Assessing joint toxicity of chemicals in Enchytraeus albidus (Enchytraeidae) and Porcellionides pruinosus (Isopoda) using avoidance behaviour as an endpoint

Contamination problems are often characterized by complex mixtures of chemicals. There are two conceptual models usually used to evaluate patterns of mixture toxicity: Concentration Addition (CA) and Independent Action (IA). Deviations from these models as synergism, antagonism and dose dependency also occur. In the present study, single and mixture toxicity of atrazine, dimethoate, lindane, zinc and cadmium were tested in Porcellionides pruinosus and Enchytraeus albidus, using avoidance as test parameter. For both species patterns of antagonism were found when exposed to dimethoate and atrazine, synergism for lindane and dimethoate exposures (with the exception of lower doses in the isopod case study) and concentration addition for cadmium and zinc occurred, while the exposure to cadmium and dimethoate showed dissimilar patterns.This study highlights the importance of dose dependencies when testing chemical mixtures and that avoidance tests can also be used to asses the effects of mixture toxicity.     

Evaluation on the toxicity of ionic liquid mixture with antagonism and synergism to Vibrio qinghaiensis sp.-Q67

Ionic liquids (ILs) are a fascinating group of new chemicals with the potential to replace the classical volatile organic solvents, stimulating many applications in chemical industry. In case ILs are released to the environment, possible combined toxicity should be taken into account and it is, however, often neglected up to now. In this paper, therefore, the concentration-response curves (CRCs) of four groups of IL mixtures with various mixture ratios to Vibrio qinghaiensis sp.-Q67 were determined using the microplate toxicity analysis and were compared to the CRCs predicted by an additive reference model, the concentration addition (CA) or independent action (IA), to identify the toxicity interaction. It is showed that most of the IL mixture rays displayed the classical addition while the remaining rays exhibited antagonism or synergism. Moreover, it is found that the pEC₅₀ values of the mixture rays exhibiting antagonism or synergism are well correlated with the mixture ratio of a certain IL therein.     

浅谈风险评价在有毒化学品管理中的作用

本文简单介绍了有毒化学品风险评价和风险管理的基本过程和方法以及它们之间的关系。作为实例 ,对某市某主要河道的污染物进行了监测、分析和计算 ,确定了主要有害污染物。取得的数据为环境管理部门采取控制措施提供了科学依据     

Photocatalytic oxidation of toxic organohalides with TiO2/UV: the effects of humic substances and organic mixtures

TiO2/UV photocatalytic oxidation of DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane), 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene and 4-chlorophenol were examined in aqueous solution in the presence of humic substances and organic mixtures to study if the degradation rates were affected. Both commercial and natural humic substances were observed to retard the photodegradation rates, with a greater effect from the natural humic substances. Acetonitrile and isopropanol also caused significant retardation of 4-chlorophenol photodegradation. The overall retardation can be attributed to the combination of light attenuation, inhibition and competition effects. Moreover, the TiO2/UV system favors the decomposition of compounds that have stronger adsorption onto the TiO2 surface. To engineer effective treatment facilities that use the TiO2/UV system for the treatment of toxic substances in wastewater, the methodology must allow for concerns about adventitious species which are present.     

Toxic masking and synergistic modulation of the estrogenic activity of chemical mixtures in a yeast estrogen screen (YES)

Background, aim and scope

Estrogenic and non-estrogenic chemicals typically co-occur in the environment. Interference by non-estrogenic chemicals may confound the assessment of the actual estrogenic activity of complex environmental samples. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether, in which way and how seriously the estrogenic activity of single estrogens and the observed and predicted joint action of estrogenic mixtures is influenced by toxic masking and synergistic modulation caused by non-estrogenic chemical confounders.

Materials and methods

The yeast estrogen screen (YES) was adapted so that toxicity and estrogenicity could be quantified simultaneously in one experimental run. Mercury, two organic solvents (dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and 2,4-dinitroaniline), a surfactant (LAS-12) and the antibiotic cycloheximide were selected as toxic but non-estrogenic test chemicals. The confounding impact of selected concentrations of these toxicants on the estrogenic activity of the hormone 17ß-estradiol was determined by co-incubation experiments. In a second step, the impact of toxic masking and synergistic modulation on the predictability of the joint action of 17ß-estradiol, estrone and estriol mixtures by concentration addition was analysed.

Results

Each of the non-estrogenic chemicals reduced the apparent estrogenicity of both single estrogens and their mixtures if applied at high, toxic concentrations. Besides this common pattern, a highly substance- and concentration-dependent impact of the non-estrogenic toxicants was observable. The activity of 17ß-estradiol was still reduced in the presence of only low or non-toxic concentrations of 2,4-dinitroaniline and cycloheximide, which was not the case for mercury and DMSO. A clear synergistic modulation, i.e. an enhanced estrogenic activity, was induced by the presence of slightly toxic concentrations of LAS-12. The joint estrogenic activity of the mixture of estrogens was affected by toxic masking and synergistic modulation in direct proportion to the single estrogens, which allowed for an adequate adaptation of concentration addition and thus unaffected predictability of the joint estrogenicity in the presence of non-estrogenic confounders.

Discussion

The modified YES proved to be a reliable system for the simultaneous quantification of yeast toxicity and estrogen receptor activation. Experimental results substantiate the available evidence for toxic masking as a relevant phenomenon in estrogenicity assessment of complex environmental samples. Synergistic modulation of estrogenic activity by non-estrogenic confounders might be of lower importance. The concept of concentration addition is discussed as a valuable tool for estrogenicity assessment of complex mixtures, with deviations of the measured joint estrogenicity from predictions indicating the need for refined analyses.

Conclusions

Two major challenges are to be considered simultaneously for a reliable analysis of the estrogenic activity of complex mixtures: the identification of known and suspected estrogenic compounds in the sample as well as the substance- and effect-level-dependent confounding impact of non-estrogenic toxicants.

Recommendations and perspectives

The application of screening assays such as the YES to complex mixtures should be accompanied by measures that safeguard against false negative results which may be caused by non-estrogenic but toxic confounders. Simultaneous assessments of estrogenicity and toxicity are generally advisable.     

Influence factors of multicomponent mixtures containing reactive chemicals and their joint effects

Organic chemicals usually coexist as a mixture in the environment, and the mixture toxicity of organic chemicals has received increased attention. However, research regarding the joint effects of reactive chemicals is lacking. In this study, we examined two kinds of reactive chemicals, cyanogenic toxicants and aldehydes and determined their joint effects on Photobacterium phosphoreum. Three factors were found to influence the joint effects of multicomponent mixtures containing reactive chemicals, including the number of components, the dominating components and the toxic ratios. With an increased number of components, the synergistic or antagonistic effects (interactions) will weaken to the additive effects (non-interactions) if the added component cannot yield a much stronger joint effect with an existing component. Contrarily, the joint effect of the mixture may become stronger instead of weaker if the added components can yield a much stronger joint effect than the existing joint effect of the multicomponent mixture. The components that yield the strongest interactions in their binary mixture can be considered the dominating components. These components contribute more to the interactions of multicomponent mixtures than other components. Moreover, the toxic ratios also influence the joint effects of the mixtures. This study provides an insight into what are the main factors and how they influence the joint effects of multicomponent mixtures containing reactive chemicals, and thus, the findings are beneficial to the study of mixture toxicology.     

Modeling the exposure of children and adults via diet to chemicals in the environment with crop-specific models

Exposure to chemicals via diet is a major uptake pathway for many compounds but is often estimated in a rather generic way. We use a new model framework (NMF) with crop-specific models to predict the dietary intake by 4-5-year-old children and 14-75-year-old women of three environmental compounds from their background concentrations in soil and air. Calculated daily intakes of benzo(a)pyrene and 2,3,7,8-TCDD are in good agreement with measured results from diet studies. The major source of both compounds in human diet is deposition from air. Inhalation of air and ingestion of soil play a minor role. Children take up more than twice the amount than adults per kg bodyweight, due to higher consumption per kg bodyweight. Contrary, the methods for indirect human exposure suggested in the Technical Guidance Document (TGD) for chemical risk assessment in the EU lead to overprediction, due to unrealistic consumption data and a false root model.     

The water-soluble fraction of potentially toxic elements in contaminated soils: relationships between ecotoxicity, solubility and geochemical reactivity

To better understand the impacts posed by soil contamination to aquatic ecosystems it is crucial to characterise the links between ecotoxicity, chemical availability and geochemical reactivity of potentially toxic elements (PTE’s) in soils. We evaluated the adverse effects of water extracts obtained from soils contaminated by chemical industry and mining, using a test battery including organisms from different trophic levels (bacteria, algae and daphnids). These tests provided a quick assessment of the ecotoxicity of soils with respect to possible adverse effects on aquatic organisms although the ecotoxicological responses could be related to the solubility of PTE’s only to a limited extent.The analysis of results of bioassays together with the chemical characterisation of water extracts provided additional relevant insight into the role of conductivity, pH, Al, Fe, and Mn of soil extracts on toxicity to organisms. Furthermore, an important conclusion of this study was that the toxicity of extracts to the aquatic organisms could also be related to the soil properties (pH, Org C and Fe_ox) and to the reactivity of PTE’s in soils which in fact control the soluble fraction of the contaminants.The combined assessment of ecotoxicity in water fractions, solubility and geochemical reactivity of PTE’s in soils provided a more comprehensive understanding of the bioavailability of inorganic contaminants than ecotoxicological or chemical studies alone and can therefore be most useful for environmental risks assessment of contaminated soils.     

Occurrence and effects of tire wear particles in the environment--a critical review and an initial risk assessment

This review summarizes the existing knowledge on the occurrence of tire wear particles in the environment, and their ecotoxicological effects. A meta-analysis on tire components in the environment revealed that tire wear particles are present in all environmental compartments, including air, water, soils/sediments, and biota. The maximum Predicted Environmental Concentrations (PECs) of tire wear particles in surface waters range from 0.03 to 56 mg l⁻¹ and the maximum PECs in sediments range from 0.3 to 155 g kg⁻¹ d.w. The results from our previous long-term studies with Ceriodaphnia dubia and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata were used to derive Predicted No Effect Concentrations (PNECs). The upper ranges for PEC/PNEC ratios in water and sediment were >1, meaning that tire wear particles present potential risks for aquatic organisms. We suggest that management should be directed towards development and production of more environmentally friendly tires and improved road runoff treatment.     

Assessing the natural attenuation of organic contaminants in aquifers using plume-scale electron and carbon balances: model development with analysis of uncertainty and parameter sensitivity

A quantitative methodology is described for the field-scale performance assessment of natural attenuation using plume-scale electron and carbon balances. This provides a practical framework for the calculation of global mass balances for contaminant plumes, using mass inputs from the plume source, background groundwater and plume residuals in a simplified box model. Biodegradation processes and reactions included in the analysis are identified from electron acceptors, electron donors and degradation products present in these inputs. Parameter values used in the model are obtained from data acquired during typical site investigation and groundwater monitoring studies for natural attenuation schemes. The approach is evaluated for a UK Permo-Triassic Sandstone aquifer contaminated with a plume of phenolic compounds. Uncertainty in the model predictions and sensitivity to parameter values was assessed by probabilistic modelling using Monte Carlo methods. Sensitivity analyses were compared for different input parameter probability distributions and a base case using fixed parameter values, using an identical conceptual model and data set. Results show that consumption of oxidants by biodegradation is approximately balanced by the production of CH4 and total dissolved inorganic carbon (TDIC) which is conserved in the plume. Under this condition, either the plume electron or carbon balance can be used to determine contaminant mass loss, which is equivalent to only 4% of the estimated source term. This corresponds to a first order, plume-averaged, half-life of > 800 years. The electron balance is particularly sensitive to uncertainty in the source term and dispersive inputs. Reliable historical information on contaminant spillages and detailed site investigation are necessary to accurately characterise the source term. The dispersive influx is sensitive to variability in the plume mixing zone width. Consumption of aqueous oxidants greatly exceeds that of mineral oxidants in the plume, but electron acceptor supply is insufficient to meet the electron donor demand and the plume will grow. The aquifer potential for degradation of these contaminants is limited by high contaminant concentrations and the supply of bioavailable electron acceptors. Natural attenuation will increase only after increased transport and dilution.     

Environmental risks of chemicals and genetically modified organisms: a comparison. Part II: Sustainability and precaution in risk assessment and risk management

The principles of precaution and sustainability require more consideration in the assessment of environmental risks posed by chemicals and genetically modified organisms. Instead of applying risk reduction measures when there are serious indications for damage, full scientific certainty is often waited for before taking action. The precautionary principle particularly should be applied in those cases in which the extent and probability of damage are uncertain, e.g. in the case of persistent chemicals which are additionally bioaccumulative or highly mobile. Based on these principles, environmental action targets for risks associated with GMOs and chemicals can be developed. Risk management not only includes statutory measures but also instruments designed to influence behaviour indirectly are important to achieve the goals. Particularly for risks of GMOs which provoke fear, risk communication is important. Some rules to which attention should be paid in communication with the public are presented.     

Modeling and interpreting bioavailability of organic contaminant mixtures in subsurface environments

Bioavailability often controls the fate of organic contaminants in surface and subsurface aquatic environments. Bioavailability can be limited by sorption, mass transfer, and intrinsic biodegradation potential and can be further altered by the presence of other compounds. This paper reviews current perspectives on the processes influencing subsurface contaminant bioavailability, how these processes are modeled, and how the relative role of the various processes can be assessed through bioavailability indices. Although these processes are increasingly well understood, the use of sophisticated models and indices often are precluded by an inability to estimate the many parameters that are associated with complex models. Nonetheless, the proper representation of sorption, mass transfer, biodegradation, and co-solute effects can be critical in predicting bio-attenuation. The influence of these processes on contaminant fate is illustrated with numerical simulations for the simultaneous degradation of toluene (growth substrate) and trichloroethylene (nongrowth cometabolite) in hypothetical, aerobic, solid-water systems. The results show how the relative impacts on contaminant fate of the model's various component processes depends upon system conditions, including co-solute concentrations. Slow biodegradation rates increase the inhibition effects of a cometabolite and suppress the rate enhancement effects of a growth substrate. Irrespective of co-solute effects, contaminant fate is less sensitive to biodegradation processes in systems with strong sorption and slow desorption rates. Bioavailability indices can be used to relate these findings and to help identify appropriate modeling simplifications. In general, however, there remains a need to redefine such indices in order that bioavailability concepts can be better incorporated into site characterization, remediation design, and regulatory oversight.     

A comparison of octanol-water partitioning between organic chemicals and their metabolites in mammals

Bioaccumulation models take various elimination and uptake processes into account, estimating rates from chemical lipophilicity, expressed as the octanol-water partition ratio (K_ow). Here, we focussed on metabolism, which transforms parent compounds into usually more polar metabolites, thus enhancing elimination. The aim of this study was to quantify the change in lipophilicity of relevant organic pollutants undergoing various biotransformation reactions in mammals. We considered oxidation reactions catalyzed by three enzyme groups: cytochrome P450 (CYP), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Estimated log K_ow values of a selected dataset of parent compounds were compared with the log K_ow of their first metabolites. The log K_ow decreased by a factor that varies between 0 and −2, depending on the metabolic pathway. For reactions mediated by CYP, the decrease in K_ow was one order of magnitude for hydroxylated and epoxidated compounds and two orders of magnitude for dihydroxylated and sulphoxidated xenobiotics. On the other hand, no significant change in lipophilicity was observed for compounds N-hydroxylated by CYP and for alcohols and aldehydes metabolized by ADH and ALDH. These trends could be anticipated by the calculus method of log K_ow. Yet, they were validated using experimental log K_ow values, when available. These relationships estimate the extent to which the elimination of pollutants is increased by biotransformation. Thus, the quantification of the K_ow reduction can be considered as a first necessary step in an alternative approach to anticipate biotransformation rates, which are hard to estimate with existing methods.     

Bioavailable DDT residues in sediments: laboratory assessment of ageing effects using semi-permeable membrane devices

We describe the reduction in bioavailability of DDT in contaminated soil after it was incubated as sediment for 365 d. Bioavailability was assessed using semi-permeable membranes. Contaminated soils from three cattle dip sites, one spiked paired uncontaminated site, and one spiked OECD standard soil were studied. Sandy soil with residues of 1880 mg/kg summation operator DDT incurred since 1962, initially had 4.6% of summation operator DDT available, reducing to 0.6% following 365 d. Clay soil (1108 mg summation operator DDT/kg) had 4.1% initially available, reducing to 0.3% after 365 d. Freshly spiked soils had a greater amount of DDT initially available (10.9%), but this reduced to 1.5% by the end of the incubation. Of the DDT congeners, both o,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDD were most bioavailable in the soils, but also had the most significant decrease following incubation.     

The effects of the insecticide lambda-Cyhalothrin on the earthworm Eisenia fetida under experimental conditions of tropical and temperate regions

Plant Protection Products can affect soil organisms and thus might have negative impacts on soil functions. Little research has been performed on their impact on tropical soils. Therefore, the effects of the insecticide lambda-Cyhalothrin on earthworms were evaluated in acute and chronic laboratory tests modified for tropical conditions, i.e. at selected temperatures (20 and 28 °C) and with two strains (temperate and tropical) of the compost worm Eisenia fetida. The insecticide was spiked in two natural soils, in OECD artificial soil and a newly developed tropical artificial soil. The effects of lambda-Cyhalothrin did rarely vary in the same soil at tropical (LC50: 68.5-229 mg a.i./kg dry weight (DW); EC50: 54.2-60.2 mg a.i./kg DW) and temperate (LC50: 99.8-140 mg a.i./kg DW; EC50: 37.4-44.5 mg a.i./kg DW) temperatures. In tests with tropical soils and high temperature, effect values differed by up to a factor of ten.     

Enantioselective toxic effects and biodegradation of benalaxyl in Scenedesmus obliquus

Enantioselectivity in ecotoxicity and biodegradation of chiral pesticide benalaxyl to freshwater algae Scenedesmus obliquus was studied. The 96 h-EC₅₀ values of rac-, R-(−)-, S-(+)-benalaxyl were 2.893, 3.867, and 8.441 mg L⁻¹, respectively. Therefore, the acute toxicities of benalaxyl enantiomers were enantioselective. In addition, the pigments chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b, antioxidant enzyme activities catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) as well as lipid peroxide malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined to evaluate the different toxic effects. Chlorophyll a was induced by S-(+)-benalaxyl but inhibited by R-(−)-benalaxyl at 1 mg L⁻¹. Chlorophyll b were both induced at 1 mg L⁻¹, but S-(+)-form was fourfold higher than R-(−)-form. S-(+)-benalaxyl inhibited more CAT activities at 3 mg L⁻¹ and 5 mg L⁻¹, induced less SOD activity and MDA content at 5 mg L⁻¹ than R-(−)-benalaxyl. Based on these data, enantioselectivity occurred in anti-oxidative stress when S. obliquus response to benalaxyl. In the biodegradation experiment, the half-lives of S-(+)-benalaxyl and R-(−)-benalaxyl were 4.07 d and 5.04 d, respectively, resulting in relative enrichment of the R-(−)-form. These results showed that toxic effects and biodegradation of benalaxyl in S. obliquus were enantioselective, and such enantiomeric differences must be taken into consideration in pesticide risk.     

Accumulation of potentially toxic elements in plants and their transfer to human food chain

Abstract

Contaminated soils can be a source for crop plants of such elements like As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn. The excessive transfer of As, Cu, Ni, and Zn to the food chain is controlled by a “soil‐plant barrier”; however, for some elements, including Cd, the soil‐plant barrier fails. The level of Cd ingested by average person in USA is about 12 μg/day, which is relatively low comparing to Risk Reference Dose (70 μg Cd/day) established by USEPA. Food of plant origin is a main source of Cd intake by modern society. Fish and shellfish may be a dominant dietary sources of Hg for some human populations. About half of human Pb intake is through food, of which more than half originates from plants. Dietary intake of Cd and Pb may be increased by application of sludges on cropland with already high levels of these metals. Soils amended with sludges in the USA will be permitted (by USEPA‐503 regulations) to accumulate Cr, Cd, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ni, and Se, and Zn to levels from 10 to 100 times the present baseline concentrations. These levels are very permissive by international standards. Because of the limited supply of toxicity data obtained from metals applied in sewage sludge, predictions as to the new regulations will protect crop plants from metal toxicities, and food chain from contamination, are difficult to make.     

Fate and effects of anthropogenic chemicals in mangrove ecosystems: a review

The scientific literature for fate and effects of non-nutrient contaminant concentrations is skewed for reports describing sediment contamination and bioaccumulation for trace metals. Concentrations for at least 22 trace metals have been reported in mangrove sediments. Some concentrations exceed sediment quality guidelines suggesting adverse effects. Bioaccumulation results are available for at least 11 trace metals, 12 mangrove tissues, 33 mangrove species and 53 species of mangrove-habitat biota. Results are specific to species, tissues, life stage, and season and accumulated concentrations and bioconcentration factors are usually low. Toxicity tests have been conducted with 12 mangrove species and 8 species of mangrove-related fauna. As many as 39 effect parameters, most sublethal, have been monitored during the usual 3 to 6 month test durations. Generalizations and extrapolations for toxicity between species and chemicals are restricted by data scarcity and lack of experimental consistency. This hinders chemical risk assessments and validation of effects-based criteria.     

Levels and speciation of arsenic in the atmosphere in Beijing, China

Arsenic levels and speciation in the total suspended particles (TSPs) were quantitatively determined by high performance liquid chromatography on-line coupled with hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry in Beijing, China from February 2009 to March 2011. The high TSP levels fluctuated between 0.07 and 0.79 mg m⁻³, with a mean level of 0.32 ± 0.17 mg m⁻³. The total arsenic concentrations ranged from 0.03 to 0.31 μg m⁻³ (mean: 0.13 ± 0.06 μg m⁻³) in Beijing‘s air. The concentrations of As(III) and As(V) ranged from 0.73 to 20 ng m⁻³ (mean: 4.7 ± 3.6 ng m⁻³) and from 14 to 2.5 × 10² ng m⁻³ (mean: 67 ± 35 ng m⁻³), respectively. As levels and speciation demonstrated relative higher levels in spring and autumn and lower values in summer and winter. As(V) accounted for 81-99% of the extractable species in the TSP samples which showed that As(V) was the major fraction of the extractable As. Organoarsenic species, monomethylarsonate (MMA) and dimethylarsinate (DMA) were not found in all samples. Higher values of enrichment factors demonstrated that arsenic in TSP mainly come from anthropogenic sources. High As and its species levels in air and respiratory exposure (0.30-0.84 μg d⁻¹) attributed to higher excess cancer risk ((4.2 ± 2.0) × 10⁻⁴) for people in Beijing.