Different isoforms of parabens into marine environment: Biological effects on the bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri and the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis.

Different isoforms of alkyl esters of p-Hydroxybenzoic acid, also known as parabens, are of great concern due to their widespread presence into the aquatic environment, their high concentrations in wastewater discharges, as well as their ability to induce adverse effects on aquatic organisms. Considering the imperative need for assessing their fate and risk to aquatic environment, the present study investigated the biological effects of two isoforms of parabens, methyl- (MeP) and propyl- (PrP), on the bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri (using the Bioluminescence Inhibition/Microtox® bioassay) and the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (in terms of mussel mortality, cellular, oxidative and genotoxic stress indices). The assessment of MeP and PrP behavior into aquatic media (artificial sea water/ASW and 2 % NaCl), primarily performed by UHPLC-UV-MS analysis, showed only a slight hydrolysis of PrP to 4-Hydrobenzoic acid (4-HBA).