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Toxicity of triphenyltin and tributyltin to the freshwater mud snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum in a new sediment biotest
Author(s) -
Duft Martina,
SchulteOehlmann Ulrike,
Tillmann Michaela,
Markert Bernd,
Oehlmann Jörg
Publication year - 2003
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.5620220119
Subject(s) - tributyltin , freshwater snail , ecotoxicology , dry weight , toxicity , environmental chemistry , chemistry , bioaccumulation , amphipoda , gastropoda , biology , toxicology , ecology , botany , crustacean , organic chemistry
The effects of two suspected endocrine‐disrupting chemicals, the xeno‐androgens triphenyltin (TPT) and tributyltin (TBT), were investigated in a new whole‐sediment biotest with the freshwater mudsnail Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia). Artificial sediments were spiked with seven concentrations, ranging from 10 to 500 μg nominal TPT‐Sn/kg dry weight and TBT‐Sn/kg dry weight, respectively. We analyzed the responses of the test species after two, four, and eight weeks exposure. For both compounds, P. antipodarum exhibited a sharp decline in the number of embryos sheltered in its brood pouch in a time‐ and concentration‐dependent manner in comparison to the control sediment. The number of new, still unshelled embryos turned out to be the most sensitive parameter. The lowest‐observed‐effect concentration (LOEC) was equivalent to the lowest administered concentration (10 μg/kg of each test compound) for most parameters and thus no no‐observed‐effect concentration (NOEC) could be established. The calculation of effect concentrations (EC10) resulted in even lower values for both substances (EC10 after eight weeks for unshelled embryos: 0.03 μg TPT‐Sn/kg, EC10 after four weeks for unshelled embryos: 0.98 μg TBT‐Sn/kg). Our results indicate that P. antipodarum is highly sensitive to both endocrine disruptors TPT and TBT at environmentally relevant concentrations.