Acute toxicity of the UV filter oxybenzone to the coral Galaxea fascicularis.

Coral reefs are impacted by a variety of anthropogenic stressors including inputs of chemical contaminants. Although data is currently limited, sunscreens containing ultraviolet (UV) filters have recently been suggested as an emerging class of chemical contaminants. To provide further data on the toxicity of the UV filter oxybenzone (benzophenone-3 or BP-3) to corals, we conducted three independent acute toxicity tests exposing the colonial stony coral Galaxea fascicularis to BP-3 (0.

A Critical Review of Organic Ultraviolet Filter Exposure, Hazard, and Risk to Corals.

There has been a rapid increase in public, political, and scientific interest regarding the impact of organic ultraviolet (UV) filters to coral reefs. Such filters are found in sunscreens and other consumer products and enter the aquatic environment via direct (i.e.

Nonlethal Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress in Oiled Sediment Exposed Southern Flounder (): Utility for Field-Base Monitoring Exposure and Potential Recovery.

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout resulted in the deposition of toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in the coastal sediments of the Gulf of Mexico. The immediate effects on an ecosystem from an oil spill are clearly recognizable, however the long-term chronic effects and recovery after a spill are still not well understood. Current methodologies for biomonitoring wild populations are invasive and mostly lethal.

Characterization of dissolved and particulate phases of water accommodated fractions used to conduct aquatic toxicity testing in support of the Deepwater Horizon natural resource damage assessment.

In response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Natural Resource Trustees implemented a toxicity testing program that included 4 different Deepwater Horizon oils that ranged from fresh to weathered, and 3 different oil-in-water preparation methods (including one that used the chemical dispersant Corexit 9500) to prepare a total of 12 chemically unique water accommodated fractions (WAFs). We determined how the different WAF preparation methods, WAF concentrations, and oil types influenced the chemical composition and concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the dissolved and particulate phases over time periods used in standard toxicity tests. In WAFs prepared with the same starting oil and oil-to-water ratio, the composition and concentration of the dissolved fractions were similar across all preparation methods.

Characterization of oil and water accommodated fractions used to conduct aquatic toxicity testing in support of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill natural resource damage assessment.

The Deepwater Horizon blowout resulted in the release of millions of barrels of crude oil. As part of the Trustees' Natural Resource Damage Assessment, a testing program was implemented to evaluate the toxicity of Deepwater Horizon oil and oil/dispersant mixtures to aquatic organisms from the Gulf of Mexico. Because of the variety of exposures that likely occurred, the program included 4 Deepwater Horizon oils, which encompassed a range of weathering states, and 3 different oil-in-water mixing methods, for a total of 12 unique water accommodated fractions (WAFs).

Investigating physiological, cellular and molecular effects in juvenile blue crab, Callinectus sapidus, exposed to field-collected sediments contaminated by oil from the Deepwater Horizon Incident.

Juvenile blue crabs, Callinectus sapidus, were exposed for 31 days to six different sediments collected within the Pass a Loutre State Wildlife Management Area approximately 6 months or 1.5 years post-capping of the Macondo-252 well-head following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Incident. Based on forensic analysis to fingerprint for DWH oil, these sediments differed in their levels of DWH oil contamination, and included one reference sediment collected from a location with no detectable DWH oil present.

Responses of the soft coral Xenia elongata following acute exposure to a chemical dispersant.

Limited toxicology data are available regarding oil dispersant exposure to coral species. Corexit® EC9500A (Corexit) is a commonly applied dispersant most well known for its use after the Deepwater Horizon spill in April, 2010. There is limited evidence that Corexit can cause a bleaching response in corals.

Acute toxicity of current and alternative oil spill chemical dispersants to early life stage blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus).

The aim of this study was to examine the acute toxicity of five oil spill chemical dispersants on the ecologically and economically important coastal and estuarine species, blue crab Callinectes sapidus. Static, non-renewal 48 h acute toxicity tests were performed on stage-II blue crab zoea. The median lethal concentration (LC50) was calculated for each dispersant at 24 h and 48 h using nominal concentrations for each dispersant tested.

Investigating the use of oil platform marine fouling invertebrates as monitors of oil exposure in the Northern Gulf of Mexico.

The concentration of 51 parent and alkylated PAHs was examined in oysters, Ostrea equestris, and corals, Tubastrea coccinea, collected from oil-rig structures off the coast of Louisiana during April and May 2011 to investigate their potential use as monitors for offshore contamination events. Corals and oysters collected from both sampling trips had lower PAH accumulation than most bivalves collected in previous studies near the shoreline of Louisiana and elsewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. In April, total PAH (TPAH) concentrations ranged from 8.

Species specific differences in the in vitro metabolism of the flame retardant mixture, Firemaster® BZ-54.

Firemaster(®) BZ-54 is a flame retardant additive and consists of a brominated benzoate (2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate; TBB) and a brominated phthalate (bis (2-ethylhexyl) 2,3,4,5-tetrabromophthalate; TBPH). Previous research has shown that fathead minnows exposed in vivo to Firemaster(®) BZ-54 accumulate TBB and TBPH. This study examined the in vitro biotransformation potential of TBB and TBPH in hepatic subcellular fractions (i.

Shipboard trials of an ozone-based ballast water treatment system.

Legislation introduced by the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) has focused primarily on standards defining successful treatments designed to remove invasive species entrained in ballast water. An earlier shipboard study found that ozone introduced into salt water ballast resulted in the formation of bromine compounds, measured as total residual oxidants (TRO) that were toxic to both bacteria and plankton. However, the diffuser system employed to deliver ozone to the ballast water tanks resulted in patchiness in TRO distribution and toxicity to entrained organisms.

Alterations in dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) levels in the coral Montastraea franksi in response to copper exposure.

Symbiotic corals routinely experience hyperoxic conditions within their tissues due to the photosynthesis of the endosymbiotic dinoflagellate microalgae (Symbiodinium spp.). Symbiodinium spp.

Characterizing the in vitro hepatic biotransformation of the flame retardant BDE 99 by common carp.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of flame retardant chemicals known to biomagnify in aquatic foodwebs. However, significant biotransformation of some congeners via reductive dehalogenation has been observed during in vivo and in vitro laboratory exposures, particularly in fish models. Little information is available on the enzyme systems responsible for catalyzing this metabolic pathway in fish.

Lack of biological effects of water accommodated fractions of chemically- and physically-dispersed oil on molecular, physiological, and behavioral traits of juvenile snapping turtles following embryonic exposure.

Snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) eggs were exposed to two concentrations of chemically- or physically-dispersed water accommodated fractions of weathered Arabian light crude oil (Low=0.5 and High=10 g oil/L water). Solutions were passed through nest substrate to simulate alterations in composition during percolation to egg depth.

Uptake and partitioning of copper and cadmium in the coral Pocillopora damicornis.

Coral-reef ecosystems are increasingly being impacted by a wide variety of anthropogenic inputs, including heavy metals, which could be contributing to coral reef stress and bleaching episodes. Fragments of Pocillopora damicornis were exposed in the laboratory to cadmium (Cd) or copper (Cu) chlorides (0, 5, 50 microg l(-1)) for 14 days and analyzed for metal content in the whole association, algal or animal fractions. Various physiological and biochemical parameters were also measured, such as, algal cell counts, mitotic index, chlorophyll content and levels of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH).

Debromination of polybrominated diphenyl ether-99 (BDE-99) in carp (Cyprinus carpio) microflora and microsomes.

Based on previous findings in dietary studies with carp (Cyprinus carpio), we investigated the mechanism of 2,2',4,4',5-pentabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-99) debromination to 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) using liver and intestinal components. In vitro aerobic and anaerobic experiments tested the ability of carp intestinal microflora to debrominate BDE-99. No debromination of BDE-99 to BDE-47 was observed in microfloral samples; therefore, carp enzymatic pathways were assessed for debromination ability.

Induction of CYP1A and DNA damage in the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) following exposure to biosolids.

Biosolids (treated sewage sludge) are increasingly disposed of on land. Thus particle-sorbed and dissolved constituents have the potential to enter nearby watersheds. Although organic contaminants are known to be present in biosolids these are not currently regulated and little data exist on their potential toxicity to aquatic organisms.

Effects of coal combustion residues on survival, antioxidant potential, and genotoxicity resulting from full-lifecycle exposure of grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio Holthius).

Coal combustion residues (CCRs), largely derived from coal-fired electrical generation, are rich in numerous trace elements that have the potential to induce sublethal effects including oxidative stress, alterations in antioxidant status and DNA single strand breaks (SSB). CCRs are frequently discharged into natural and man-made aquatic systems. As the effects of CCRs have received relatively little attention in estuarine systems, the estuarine grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, was chosen for this study.

Correlations of nonylphenol-ethoxylates and nonylphenol with biomarkers of reproductive function in carp (Cyprinus carpio) from the Cuyahoga River.

Various chemical and biological measures were determined in carp (Cyprinus carpio) sampled from seven sites along the Cuyahoga River, Ohio; from the relatively pristine headwaters to the lower portion heavily polluted from various industrial, urban and wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Levels of nonylphenol (NP), nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs; NP1EO, NP2EO) and total NPEs (NP plus the NPEs) in fish increased in a downstream direction, with maximal values observed below the discharge of the Akron WWTP. In female fish there were no significant differences between sites in GSI or levels of vitellogenin (VTG) and 17beta-estradiol (E2).

In vivo and in vitro debromination of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 209) by juvenile rainbow trout and common carp.

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 209), the major congener in the high volume industrial flame retardant mixture "DecaBDE", has recently been shown to be metabolized by carp. To further explore this phenomenon, juvenile rainbow trout were exposed to BDE 209 via the diet for a five month period. Analysis of the whole body homogenate, liver, serum, and intestinal tissues revealed that BDE 209 accumulated in rainbow trout tissues and was most concentrated in the liver.

Assessing DNA damage in cnidarians using the Comet assay.

The assessment of DNA damage by the Comet assay has been described as a useful non-specific general biomarker of stress in many marine organisms. In field situations it has successfully been employed to distinguish between reference and polluted sites and in the laboratory it has been widely used as a mechanistic tool to determine pollutant effects and mechanisms of DNA damage. To date a wide range of marine vertebrates and invertebrates have been used, however, the usefulness of this assay as a biomarker in cnidarians has not yet been assessed.

Differential accumulation of heavy metals in the sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima as a function of symbiotic state.

The accumulation of metals by the North American Pacific Coast temperate sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima, and its dinoflagellate-algal symbiont Symbiodinium muscatinei was examined following laboratory metal exposures. Both, naturally occurring symbiotic and symbiont-free (aposymbiotic) anemones were used in this study to investigate differences in metal uptake due to the symbiotic state of the animal. The effects of metal exposures on the anemone-algal symbiosis were determined using measures of algal cell density and mitotic index (MI).