Tracking pyrethroid toxicity in surface water samples: Exposure dynamics and toxicity identification tools for laboratory tests with Hyalella azteca (Amphipoda)

Abstract

Pyrethroid insecticides are commonly used in pest control and are present at toxic concentrations in surface waters of agricultural and urban areas worldwide. Monitoring is challenging as a result of their high hydrophobicity and low toxicity thresholds, which often fall below the analytical methods detection limits (MDLs). Standard daphnid bioassays used in surface water monitoring are not sensitive enough to protect more susceptible invertebrate species such as the amphipod Hyalella azteca and chemical loss during toxicity testing is of concern. In the present study, we quantified toxicity loss during storage and testing, using both natural and synthetic water, and presented a tool to enhance toxic signal strength for improved sensitivity of H. azteca toxicity tests. The average half-life during storage in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) cubitainers (Fisher Scientific) at 4 °C of 5 pyrethroids (permethrin, bifenthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, cyfluthrin, and esfenvalerate) and one organophosphate (chlorpyrifos; used as reference) was 1.4 d, and piperonyl butoxide (PBO) proved an effective tool to potentiate toxicity. We conclude that toxicity tests on ambient water samples containing these hydrophobic insecticides are likely to underestimate toxicity present in the field, and mimic short pulse rather than continuous exposures. Where these chemicals are of concern, the addition of PBO during testing can yield valuable information on their presence or absence. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:462-472. © 2017 SETAC.

Exposure to permethrin or chlorpyrifos causes differential dose- and time-dependent behavioral effects at early larval stages of an endangered teleost species

“…Two of the most common insecticide groups used worldwide are pyrethroids and organophosphates. Application and use of pyrethroid pesticides have grown in popularity in agricultural and urban sectors ( Kuivila et al 2012 , Weston & Lydy 2012 , Deanovic et al 2018 , Tang et al 2018 ). Although domestic use of organophosphates has decreased due to a household ban in the USA in 2000, they are still heavily used in agriculture ( Mackay et al 2014 , DiBartolomeis et al 2019 ).…”

“…Permethrin is among the most commonly detected pyrethroids in environmental and organismal samples ( Tang et al 2018 ). Because permethrin is used heavily in agricultural and urban applications, it often enters watersheds and can be found in sediment and surface waters in the ng l −1 to μg l −1 range ( You & Lydy 2006 , Delgado-Moreno et al 2011 , Weston et al 2014 , Deanovic et al 2018 ). Pyrethroids are classified as Type I or Type II according to their chemical structure.…”

“…Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate pesticide, commonly used worldwide in agricultural settings ( Mackay et al 2014 , Solomon et al 2014 ). Because it is used heavily in the agricultural sector, it often enters watersheds, particularly after storm events, and can be found in sediment as well as surface waters ( Delgado-Moreno et al 2011 , Williams et al 2014 , Weston et al 2015a , Deanovic et al 2018 ). The MOA of chlorpyrifos (in both mammals and fish) is inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, leading to accumulation of acetylcholine in the synaptic junction of neurons, ultimately causing repeated stimulation of neurons and nervous system malfunction ( Giesy et al 1999 , Eaton et al 2008 ).…”

Picogram per liter quantification of pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides in surface waters: a result of large enrichment with liquid–liquid extraction and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization

“…Method limits of quantification (MLOQs) of published studies analyzing total concentrations of pyrethroids in water samples are in the ng L -1 range for selected analytes (from several up to several hundred ng L -1 ), thereby not reaching the required AA-EQSs (see Table 2) for ecotoxicological risk assessment of pyrethroids [25,19,26,27,18,28]. These methods are lacking adequate sensitivities either because of hard ionization techniques such as EI [28], the choice of the detector (electron capture detector or high resolution MS versus triple quadrupole MS) [25,27,26] or the choice of the chromatographic system (LC versus GC) [19,18]. Only one study reports MLOQs for a limited number of pyrethroids in unfiltered surface water samples in the sub-ng L -1 range (~0.2 ng L -1 ) using ultrasound-assisted emulsification-extraction and detection by GC-negative CI-MS/MS [22].…”

Review of and Recommendations for Monitoring Contaminants and their Effects in the San Francisco Bay−Delta

“…Chemical pollution is therefore likely to play a significant role in the currently degraded state of the Bay− Delta ecosystem (Healey et al 2016). As an indication of risk to delicate food webs, acute toxicity has been documented in both tributaries and mainstem rivers of the Delta (Deanovic et al 2014;Hasenbein et al 2014;Weston et al 2015a;Deanovic et al 2018;Weston et al 2018). Moreover, environmental surveillance efforts have measured a diversity of contaminants in Bay−Delta habitats at concentrations known to negatively affect the health of fish and invertebrates (Fong et al 2016;Healey et al 2016;Jabusch et al 2018).…”