Aquatic toxicity of pharmaceuticals and personal care products

本研究计划的总体目标是评估暴露于药物和个人护理产品混合物（PPCPs）对水生生物的生理、生长、生殖和发育的影响，包括鱼类和水螅（小型淡水无脊椎动物）。废水处理厂（WWTPs）不断向水生生态系统排放含有微量ppcp的废水。例如，在加拿大的一处污水中，布洛芬的浓度高达每升22微克，这类化学品更有可能产生慢性而非急性影响，因为长时间暴露在低水平的环境中。ppcp特别成问题的两个方面是：它们旨在通过改变重要的生理/生化功能对生物系统产生影响；并且，ppcp不断被引入地表水（伪持久性），导致对水生生物群的暴露时间延长。**对虹鳟鱼（Oncorhynchus mykiss）、佛罗里达旗鱼（Jordanella floridae）和日本medaka (Oryzias latipes)（后两种是小型模型淡水鱼，通常用于发育和毒性研究）进行研究，利用部分生命周期或完整生命周期研究，将评估预测生命早期暴露于污水污染物的亚致死效应的能力，无论是单独的还是简单混合物的组合。污染物对虹鳟鱼早期生命阶段的影响将与对旗鱼和medaka的多代影响进行比较。对两种水螅，绿色水螅（hydra viridissima）和棕色水螅（hydra oligactis）也将进行类似的接触。酶和其他生物标志物、生长、生殖终点和第二代健康之间的相关性将与特定的暴露浓度和暴露时间有关。将利用目前正在圭尔夫建造的现场实验室，作为南安大略水联盟的一部分，让鱼类接触真正处理过的污水。这样就可以将接触含有复杂污染物混合物的稀释处理污水的影响与在实验室观察到的涉及受控PPCP接触和简单污染物混合物的影响进行比较。这些信息将使人们更加了解这些微量PPCP污染物对鱼类种群的生理、生长、繁殖、发育和生存的影响。它还将协助制定更好的处理程序，以确定主要污染物，并协助制定更好的处理方法，以尽量减少经处理的废水中小氯氯化碳的影响。虹鳟鱼和美国旗鱼的反应将在整个生物体、器官、组织和生物组织的生化水平上进行比较，以确定有用的生物标志物，并成功预测整个生物体的影响。**这项拟议的研究计划将加强评估这种复杂的化学混合物对野生和实验室环境下鱼类的影响的努力，并允许更精确地了解这种污染物在不同空间和时间尺度上的影响。这些知识将提高我们管理复杂流出物（如处理过的污水）中的污染物的能力，以保障重要鱼类种群的健康，造福所有加拿大人

The overall objectives of this research program are to assess the physiological, growth, reproductive and developmental effects of exposure to mixtures of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in aquatic organisms, including fish and hydra (small freshwater invertebrates). Waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) continuously release effluent containing trace levels of PPCPs into aquatic ecosystems. For example, the concentration of ibuprofen in a Canadian effluent was found to be up to 22 µg per L. Such chemicals are more likely to have chronic than acute effects, with exposure to low levels occurring for long periods of time. Two aspects of PPCPs which are particularly problematic are: they designed to have effects on biological systems by modifying important physiological/ biochemical functions; and, PPCPs are being continuously introduced into surface waters (pseudo-persistence) resulting in extended exposures to aquatic biota.**Studies on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Florida flagfish (Jordanella floridae) and Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes), (the latter two are small model freshwater fish commonly used in developmental and toxicity studies) utilizing either partial life-cycle, or full life-cycle studies, will assess the ability to predict sublethal effects of early life-stage exposure to effluent contaminants, both individually, and in a combination of simple mixtures. Contaminant effects on rainbow trout early life stages will be compared to multi-generational effects on flagfish and medaka. Similar exposures to two species of hydra, the green hydra (Hydra viridissima) and the brown hydra (Hydra oligactis) will also be undertaken. Correlations between enzyme and other biomarkers, growth, reproductive endpoints and second generation health will be made in relation to specific exposure concentrations and exposure times. Exposure of fish to real treated sewage effluents of will be undertaken as part of the Southern Ontario Water Consortium using the in-situ laboratory presently under construction in Guelph. This will permit comparison of the impacts of exposure to dilute treated sewage effluent containing complex mixtures of contaminants to the effects observed in the laboratory involving controlled PPCP exposures and simple contaminant mixtures. This information will result in increased understanding of the impacts of such trace PPCP contaminants on the physiology, growth, reproduction, development and survival of fish populations. It will also assist in the development of better treatment processes to identify key contaminants and assist in developing better treatments to minimise the impacts of PPCPs in treated effluents. Rainbow trout and American flagfish responses will be compared at the whole organism, organ, tissue and biochemical levels of biological organisation to determine useful biomarkers of exposure and effects that successfully predict whole organism impacts.**This proposed research program will enhance efforts to assess the impacts of such complex mixtures of chemicals to fish species in the wild as well as in laboratory situations, and to permit more precise understanding of the impacts of such contaminant exposure on different spatial and temporal scales. Such knowledge will increase our ability to manage contaminants in complex effluents such as treated sewage to safeguard the health of important fish populations for the benefit of all Canadians