Toxicity tests aiming to protect Brazilian aquatic systems: current status and implications for management

Abstract

The current status of toxicological tests performed with Brazilian native species was evaluated through a survey of the scientific data available in the literature. The information gathered was processed and an electronic toxicology database (http://www.inct-ta.furg.br/bd_toxicologico.php) was generated. This database provides valuable information for researchers to select sensitive and tolerant aquatic species to a large variety of aquatic pollutants. Furthermore, the toxicology database allows researchers to select species representative of an ecosystem of interest. Analysis of the toxicology database showed that ecotoxicological assays have significantly improved in Brazil over the last decade, in spite of the still relatively low number of tests performed and the restricted number of native species tested. This is because most of the research is developed in a few laboratories concentrated in certain regions of Brazil, especially in Southern and Southeast regions. Considering the extremely rich biodiversity and the large variety of aquatic ecosystems in Brazil, this finding points to the urgent need for the development of ecotoxicological studies with other groups of aquatic animals, such as insects, foraminifera, cnidarians, worms, amphibians, among others. This would help to derive more realistic water quality criteria (WQC) values, which would better protect the different aquatic ecosystems in Brazil. Finally, the toxicology database generated presents solid and science based information, which can encourage and drive the Environmental Regulatory Agencies in Brazil to derive WQC based on native species. In this context, the present paper discusses the historical evolution of ecotoxicological studies in Brazil, and how they have contributed to the improvement of the Brazilian Federal and Regional regulations for environment.

Acute effects of cadmium on osmoregulation of the freshwater teleost Prochilodus lineatus: Enzymes activity and plasma ions

“…regulations. Consequently, they do not consider the potential deleterious effects of pollutants to Brazilian native species (Martins and Bianchini, 2011). Prochilodus lineatus is a Neotropical fish species of great ecological significance that inhabits the largest South American river basins and is sensitive to metals, such as aluminum (Camargo et al, 2009), lead (Monteiro et al, 2011), and copper (Nascimento et al, 2012), nonetheless there is no information available regarding Cd effects on this fish species.…”

Ecotoxicology assay for the evaluation of environmental water quality in a tropical urban estuary

“…Brazilian legislation was introduced in 2005 to include ecotoxicological tests for classification of water bodies, in addition to the evaluation of effluents in fresh, saline, and brackish waters (CONAMA 2005). However, ecotoxicological studies in Brazil still face major challenges regarding the standardization of protocols, the use of native species, the development of assays with different groups of the local rich biodiversity, and the lack of studies in representative aquatic environments, particularly in the northeast (Martins and Bianchini 2011). ecotoxicological studies in marine and estuarine environments in Brazil are commonly carried out using Mysidopsis juniae (Crustacea: Mysidae, Silva 1979) that is the only protocol standardized by the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT) for the evaluation of acute toxicity (ABNT 2011).…”

Tests of chronic and acute toxicity of crude oil on larvae of Chironomus kiiensis Tokunaga (Diptera: Chironomidae)

“…With the aim of obtaining more realistic results for our environment, researchers began using Brazilian native species in toxicology essays in the early 1980s. In the case of fish and amphipods, native species are considered to be more sensitive to pollutants when compared with exotic species (Martins and Bianchini, 2011). Most studies of the harmfulness of hydrocarbons for the aquatic biota have been conducted in situ comparing impacted and not impacted areas (Martins and Bianchini, 2011).…”