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1H a/b/c - Pesticides, pharmaceuticals, perfluoroalkylated substances, antibiotics (WEP/47) Acute toxicity of environmentally relevant veterinary pharmaceuticals to five different taxa of aquatic macroinvertebrates. Ehrlich, Bert1, Berenzen, Norbert1, Hahn, Torsten1, Wogram, Jörn1, Höltge, Sibylla2, Kreuzig, Robert2, Schulz, Ralf1, 1 Zoological Institute, Technical University of Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany, Germany2 Institute for Ecological Chemistry and Waste Analysis, Technical University of Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany, Germany ABSTRACT- Veterinary pharmaceuticals represent a class of agriculturally-derived substances posing a potential risk to the aquatic non-target environment. However, in the past the possible hazardous potential of these substances has received less attention compared to other agrochemicals, although their use has risen to considerable high amounts in countries with intensified agricultural usage and release into the environment. In order to evaluate the possible hazardous potential we studied the acute (96-h) toxicity of five broadly applied veterinary pharmaceuticals, two sulfonamides, two benzimidazoles, and the parasiticide ivermectin to freshwater invertebrates of five different taxa. The species tested encompassed the taxonomic groups Planaria, Gastropoda, Oligochaeta, Crustacea, and Insecta. Results revealed clear differences in the acute toxicities of the tested pharmaceuticals in terms of LC50 values , with the sulfonamides generally exhibiting the lowest toxic potential. However, in many cases sub-lethal endpoints, such as paralysis or abnormal behaviour, were observed at test concentrations well below the effect levels for mortality. Key words: aquatic macroinvertebrates, veterinary pharmaceuticals, acute toxicity, sublethal effects |
