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Photoinduced toxicity of fluoranthene to northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens)
Author(s) -
Monson Philip D.,
Call Daniel J.,
Cox Dean A.,
Liber Karsten,
Ankley Gerald T.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620180230
Subject(s) - fluoranthene , toxicity , environmental chemistry , chemistry , larva , ecotoxicology , toxicology , biology , zoology , ecology , phenanthrene , organic chemistry
Rana pipiens larvae (96–118 h old) were exposed for 48 h in a flow‐through system to clean water or five concentrations (0.89, 2.18, 6.99, 12.0, and 30.6 μg/L) of the phototoxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) fluoranthene. Following this uptake period, the larvae were divided into four groups: one for immediate tissue residue analysis, a second for residue analysis following 48 h of depuration in clean water, and two for a 48‐h exposure in clean water to ultraviolet (UV) light at two different levels. At the highest treatment, mean (±SD) UVA (310–390 nm) intensity was 8.12 ± 0.19 × 10 2 μW/cm 2 , whereas at a lower treatment the UVA intensity was 4.45 ± 0.05 × 10 2 μW/cm 2 . Larval frogs bioaccumulated fluoranthene in direct proportion to the water exposure concentrations, with initial whole‐body PAH concentrations of 1.48, 3.53, 4.85, 11.3, and 18.7 μg/g at the five treatment levels. No mortality of the animals occurred during the 48‐h uptake phase. When the frogs were placed in clean water, the fluoranthene was rapidly depurated, with up to 80% lost in 48 h. Exposure to UV light following fluoranthene exposure significantly enhanced toxicity of the PAH. Median time to death decreased as the product of UVA light intensity and fluoranthene body residue increased. For larval R. pipiens , sufficient tissue residues of fluoranthene were bioaccumulated within 48 h, at water exposure concentrations in the range of 2 to 10 μg/L, to be lethal when combined with a UVA exposure simulating a fraction of summertime, midday sunlight in northern latitudes.