Toxic effects of selected bleached kraft mill effluent constituents on the sea urchin sperm cell

Abstract

The toxicities of chemicals found in bleached kraft pulp mill effluent were assessed using a sea urchin sperm toxicity test. Sperm of the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, were preincubated with 12 individual compounds, including resin acids, unsaturated fatty acids, their chlorinated derivatives and chlorinated guaiacols. Sperm were then coincubated with eggs and inhibition of fertilization and the effects on sperm motility were assessed. Resin acids, which are highly toxic to juvenile salmonids in freshwater, were less toxic in seawater (EC50s ranging from 2 to more than 20 mg/L). Unsaturated linoleic and linolenic fatty acids inhibited fertilization at lower concentrations (EC50s of 0.28 to 1.07 mg/L) than resin acids, although they are less toxic than resin acids to freshwater fishes. Oleic acid was not significantly toxic up to 75 mg/L. Chlorinated derivatives showed increasing toxicity with increasing chlorination, and chlorinated resin acids were more toxic than their unchlorinated parent compound. Dichlorostearic acid was the most toxic compound tested, with an EC50 of 0.057 mg/L. All compounds except fatty acids inhibited sperm motility. These results indicate that some of the major constituents of pulp mill effluent exhibit very different levels of toxicity in seawater using a sea urchin sperm cell toxicity test as compared to freshwater bioassays using juvenile salmonids. In addition, mechanisms of action on the sperm appear to differ among the compounds. Accurate quantification of the compounds in effluent as well as the potential effect of the effluent on other marine organisms remains to be determined.

Screening Bioavailable Hydrophobic Toxicants in Surface Waters with Semipermeable Membrane Devices: Role of Inherent Oleic Acid in Toxicity Evaluations

“…,scheri (Svenson et al, 1996). Unsaturated fatty acids were also major components of bleached kraft mill e%uent toxicity (Cherr et al, 1987;Crooks and Sikes, 1990).…”

Evaluation of the Fertilization Capability of Paracentrotus Lividus Sea Urchin Storaged Gametes by the Exposure to Different Aqueous Matrices

“…Sperm was collected dry, directly from the surface of the sea urchins using a Pasteur pipette, and conserved in a small test tube at 4 • C. Indeed, as suggested by several authors, (D. Epel, personal communication; C. Falugi, personal communication; USEPA, 1995), the dry collection technique allows the sperm to be held longer without losing viability and decreases the sensitivity of a test because semen is more viable at the beginning of the exposure period (Anderson et al, 1990;Chapman, 1995;Cherr et al, 1987). In order to determine sperm concentration, 50 μl of semen were diluted and fixed in 9.95 ml fresh water and sperm count performed on a hemocytometer (Thoma chamber) under a microscope at 40×.…”

Effects of pulp and paper mill effluents on estuarine and marine ecosystems in Canada: a review

“…Anderson (1983) previously demonstrated that copepods, which are an important part of the food web, are more sensitive to kraft mill effluent (LC50 = 12%) than juvenile salmonids (LC50 = 25%). The toxic effect of bleached kraft mill effluent constituents has also been demonstrated 214 using sea urchins (Cherr et al, 1987) and copepods (Renberg et al, 1980). Wu & Levings (1980) demonstrated that blue mussels and barnacles suffered reproductive impairment and slower growth rates when transplanted near the Port Mellon kraft mill outfall.…”