Embryotoxic potential of persistent organic pollutants extracted from tissues of guillemots (Uria aalge) from the Baltic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

The Baltic Sea is a heavily polluted area. To assess the current contaminant pressure on the common guillemot (Uria aalge) living there, whole-body extracts of guillemots from the Baltic Sea were prepared and subdivided over six fractions, which differed in composition due to lipophilicity and polarity of the contaminants. The fractions were tested in the chicken embryo assay and compared to fractions of Atlantic guillemot extracts. Fertilized chicken eggs were injected with 0.03, 0.3, or 3 bird egg equivalents (BEQ) of the contaminants present in the fractions and then incubated for 19 d. Endpoints were selected to cover several mechanisms that may play a role in reproductive failures of fish-eating birds. Fractions I and IV from the Baltic guillemots induced ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity up to 15-fold in embryos exposed to 0.3 BEQ and up to 17-fold in embryos exposed to 3 BEQ. Corresponding Atlantic fractions induced EROD activity only at the higher dose of 3 BEQ. Morphological alterations were observed in the bursa of Fabricius in embryos exposed to the fractions that induced EROD, and for the Baltic fractions, this was apparent at the dose of 0.3 BEQ. The higher toxic potency of fractions I and IV was confirmed by higher mortality and occurrence of malformations among embryos exposed to these fractions. No other effects were observed; morphometry, hepatic porphyrin levels, thiamine-dependent enzymes, and acetylcholinesterase activity were not affected by any fraction. During interpretation of the results, concentrations in the whole-body guillemot extracts were compared to concentrations reported in field studies. In general, concentrations in the guillemot extract were lower than those associated with biomarker responses in other wild-bird species. However, because the relative sensitivity of guillemot toward immunotoxic effects remains to be resolved, effects on the immunocompetence of guillemot could not be excluded.

In vitro EROD induction equivalency factors for the 10 PAHs generally monitored in risk assessment studies in The Netherlands.

The ethoxy resorufin dealkylase (EROD) inducing potency of 10 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is measured in the H4IIE in vitro bioassay and the results are compared to those reported in literature. The selected PAHs varied considerably in their potency to induce EROD activity. Anthracene (Ant) and phenanthrene (Phe) showed consistently no response. Naphthalene (Nap) showed no or a very weak response on EROD activity. Fluoranthene (Fla) and benzo[g,h,i]perylene (BghiP) showed weak responses at the highest doses. The other PAHs, including indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (IP), benz[a]anthracene (BaA), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), chrysene (Chr) and benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkF), showed full bell shaped dose-response curves. BaP EROD induction equivalency factors (BaP-1EF) were calculated and increased in the order Ant approximately Phe < Fla < Nap < BghiP < IP < BaA < BaP < Chr < BkF. Comparison of BaP-IEFs based on 50% effect concentration (EC50) or lowest effect concentration (LEC), yielded a significant relationship between both methods described by the equation log(BaPIEF(EC50) = 0.55 x log(BaPIEF(LEC)) + 0.07 (r2 = 0.913). BaP-IEFs as derived from our measurements and as reported in literature and measured in other in vitro assays deviated up to a factor of 17 among the different studies, but the potency rankings were comparable. For the PAH mixture as on average present in the human diet an overall tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)-IEF of 1 x 10(-4) was estimated. The total PAH based TCDD induction equivalents (IEQ) intake then was calculated 300 pg/day, which is approximately 2 times higher then the PHAH based TCDD-EQ intake reported for humans.

Effects of an extract of oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) eggs from the Zeehavenkanaal in The Netherlands, and of its major contaminant, hexachlorobenzene, on the chicken embryo.

Oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) foraging on the canal 'Zeehavenkanaal' in the Netherlands have been shown to accumulate appreciable amounts of contaminants, especially hexachlorobenzene. The present study was performed to assess the embryotoxic effects of the present contaminants. To this end, a two step approach was followed. In step one, the toxic effects of hexachlorobenzene were studied in the chicken embryo bioassay, using concentrations realistic for the field situation. In step two, yolks of oystercatcher eggs were extracted and the embryotoxic potency of this extract was studied in the same bioassay, using doses of 1, 10 and 100% of the contaminant load in one average egg. The extract contained hexachlorobenzene and PCBs. However, presence of other compounds could not be excluded, since these were not analysed. Hexachlorobenzene induced a nonsignificant decrease in lymphocyte density in the bursa of Fabricius. The egg extract caused a 3.5 fold induction of EROD activity at the highest dose applied, and decreased lymphocyte density in the bursa of Fabricius.