Toxicity of sediment‐associated nitroaromatic and cyclonitramine compounds to benthic invertebrates

Abstract

The toxicity of nitroaromatic (2,4-diaminonitrotoluene [2,4-DANT] and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene [TNB]) and 14C-labeled cyclonitramine compounds (hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine [RDX] and octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine [HMX]) to the marine polychaete Neanthes arenaceodentata and the estuarine amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus following 10- or 28-d exposures to spiked sediments was investigated. Organismal-level effects on survival, growth, and reproduction and cellular-level effects on apoptosis (programmed cell death) were evaluated. Because cyclonitramines have low affinity for sediment, overlying water was not exchanged in the RDX and HMX exposures. Nitroaromatics sorbed strongly to sediment, resulting in near complete resistance to solvent extraction. Cyclonitramines sorbed weakly to sediment, as more 14C-activity was found in the overlying water than in the sediment at exposure termination. No significant decrease in survival or growth was observed with cyclonitramines at initial sediment concentrations as high as 1,000 microg/g. Survival was significantly affected by nitroaromatics at nominal sediment concentrations as low as 200 microg/g, with L. plumulosus being more sensitive than N. arenaceodentata. Growth was significantly decreased at sublethal concentrations of 2,4-DANT for N. arenaceodentata. Reproduction, measured only with L. plumulosus, was significantly decreased only in the highest RDX treatment and also in the lower TNB treatment. However, no decrease was observed in higher concentrations of TNB. Body burden at exposure termination was below detection limit (1 microg/kg) for all compounds. Significant inhibition of apoptosis was not accompanied by significant decreases in growth or reproduction. Because of its critical function in many biological processes. alterations in this endpoint may result in adverse effects on the organism and could be used as an early indicator of toxicity.

Toxicity and bioaccumulation of TNT in marine fish in sediment exposures

“…Movement of TNT and related compounds from the sedimentporewater phase into the overlying water occurred during the static exposures in this study and has been reported previously (Lotufo et al, 2001;Rosen and Lotufo, 2005). Such movement of TNT has been attributed mostly to compound transfer from the porewater phase to the overlying water phase (Rosen and Lotufo, 2005).…”

“…A similar inverse relationship between spiking level and degree of transformation and disappearance has been previously observed for TNT and related compounds in sediments (Lotufo et al, 2001;Steevens et al, 2002;Conder et al, 2004;Lotufo and Farrar, 2005) and likely resulted from inhibition of microbial transformation as well as saturation of sites on the particles where covalent binding occurs.…”

Summary Review of the Aquatic Toxicology of Munitions Constituents

“…Extensive transformation of RDX occurred following spiking to fine-grained sediment (Lotufo et al 2001;Pennington et al 2011), but the transformation products were not identified. Different from the fate of RDX in organically-rich sediment, transformation was minimal in sandy sediment (Rosen and Lotufo 2005).…”

Response of sediment-dwelling annelida community in relation to geochemical parameters in the Gorgan Bay, Caspian Sea

“…Metals absorption by these organisms is pertained to each individual metal concentration and chemical forms of metals transmission. Benthic organisms have been widely used in marine environmental monitoring, particularly in the toxicity of sediments, as they are directly affected by the pollutants in such sediments (Brown and Luoma 1995;Lotufo et al 2001;Zorita et al 2007).…”