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Crude oil exposure of early life stages of Atlantic haddock suggests threshold levels for developmental toxicity as low as 0.1 μg total polyaromatic hydrocarbon (TPAH)/L

Abstract

Atlantic haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) embryos bind dispersed crude oil droplets to the eggshell and are consequently highly susceptible to toxicity from spilled oil. We established thresholds for developmental toxicity and identified any potential long-term or latent adverse effects that could impair the growth and survival of individuals. Embryos were exposed to oil for eight days (10, 80 and 300 μg oil/L, equivalent to 0.1, 0.8 and 3.0 μg TPAH/L). Acute and delayed mortality were observed at embryonic, larval, and juvenile stages with IC50 = 2.2, 0.39, and 0.27 μg TPAH/L, respectively. Exposure to 0.1 μg TPAH/L had no negative effect on growth or survival. However, yolk sac larvae showed significant reduction in the outgrowth (ballooning) of the cardiac ventricle in the absence of other extracardiac morphological defects. Due to this propensity for latent sublethal developmental toxicity, we recommend an effect threshold of 0.1 μg TPAH/L for risk assessment models.
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Category

Academic article

Language

English

Author(s)

  • Elin Sørhus
  • Lisbet Sørensen
  • Bjørn Einar Grøsvik
  • Jérémie Le Goff
  • John P. Incardona
  • Tiffany Linbo
  • David Baldwin
  • Ørjan Karlsen
  • Trond Nordtug
  • Bjørn Henrik Hansen
  • Anders Thorsen
  • Carey Donald
  • Terje van der Meeren
  • William Robson
  • Steven J. Rowland
  • Josef Rasinger
  • Frode Bendiksen Vikebø
  • Sonnich Meier

Affiliation

  • SINTEF Ocean / Climate and Environment
  • France
  • University of Plymouth
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Institute of Marine Research

Year

2023

Published in

Marine Pollution Bulletin

ISSN

0025-326X

Volume

190

View this publication at Norwegian Research Information Repository