Wildlife toxicology: biomarkers of genotoxic exposures at a hazardous waste site

Abstract

A large number of hazardous waste sites in the United States have undergone the initial stages of remediation or containment. At many of the remaining sites, the potential for exposure to ecological receptors is a primary concern. This manuscript reports on studies to investigate the impact on ecological receptors exposed to complex mixtures at a former creosote facility. Currently there are isolated areas on-site that were not addressed in the initial removal action that appear to be releasing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the surrounding environment. The U.S. EPA collected environmental samples and performed ex situ sediment bioassays to measure chronic toxicity; whereas, this study describes an in situ study to measure biomarkers of effect in two ecological receptors. Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) and cricket frogs (Acris crepitans) were collected from a small intermittent creek adjacent to the site, and reference stations. A weight-of-evidence ecological risk assessment was completed for the amphibian and fish communities. The ecological risk assessment was developed using analysis of media chemistry, body burden of specific PAHs, bioassay results, community surveys, and cellular genome size variation as a biomarker of genotoxicity. Flow cytometric estimates of chromosomal damage were significantly elevated for both mosquitofish and cricket frogs inhabiting the contaminated site, relative to at least one reference site. Surface water screening values for fish and amphibians exceeded screening values for PAHs by more than one order of magnitude in the on-site creek, and sediment PAH concentrations were extremely high (up to 1,549 μg/dry g). Tissue concentrations of PAHs were below screening values. Media chemistry, bioassay and genotoxicity data all support the same conclusion that on-site PAHs continue to impact aquatic receptors. The genotoxicity findings are consistent with and contribute to results of the weight-of-evidence ecological risk assessment. The results support continuing efforts to incorporate biomarkers as valuable lines of evidence within ecological risk assessment.

Genotoxic effects of the fungicide thiophanate-methyl on Podarcis sicula assessed by micronucleus test, comet assay and chromosome analysis

“…In this in vivo study we investigated the genotoxic effects of TM, at the concentration normally used in farming, in the lacertid lizard P. sicula, because reptiles have been shown as valuable models for ecotoxicological studies and risk assessment both in vivo and in vitro (Talent et al 2002;Matson et al 2005Matson et al , 2009Sparling et al 2006;MartinezLopez et al 2010;Strunjak-Perovic et al 2010).…”

“…Reptiles have previously been shown to be excellent indicators of the potential association between contaminants and genetic damage (Hall and Clark Jr 1982;Clark et al 2000;Talent et al 2002;Matson et al 2005Matson et al , 2009Sparling et al 2006;Strunjak-Perovic et al 2010). …”

Wasting lives: The effects of toxic waste exposure on health. The case of Campania, Southern Italy

“…Amphibians exhibit a variety of adverse effects from environmental exposure and can be used as sentinel species when investigating environmental risks at contaminated sites. [29][30][31] Maselli et al used frogs to evaluate DNA damage related to pollution in Naples and neighboring Provinces. Twenty frogs were sampled from several sites of the Campania Region, including areas in the close proximity of dumping sites (both legal and illegal), sites influenced by intensive farming and uncontaminated sites.…”

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fish and crayfish from the Calumet region of southwestern Lake Michigan

“…The mean PAH concentration in ISC alewife was also higher than the highest treatment mean (801 ppb) in juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) fed a mixture of PAHs (Meador et al 2006). Matson et al (2009) reported anthracene, phenanthrene, and benz[a]anthracene concentrations of 21, 954 and 4 ppb, respectively, in mosquito fish that evinced genotoxic effects following PAH exposure. All of the alewife and minnows collected in the ISC, along with 3 of 5 minnow samples from LCalR, and the only minnow sample from IRMsh, exceeded this reported anthracene concentration.…”