Lethal and sublethal effects of selected PPCPs on the freshwater rotifer, Plationus patulus

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have been reported in surface waters around the world. The continuous input of these pollutants into freshwaters and their potential effects on aquatic life are of increasing concern. The rotifer Plationus patulus, a basal member of riverine food webs, was used to test acute and chronic toxicity of 4 PPCPs (acetamidophenol, caffeine, fluoxetine, triclosan). A population from a remote site in Mexico (reference population) and one from an urbanized stretch of the Rio Grande were exposed. Acute toxicity tests show that both populations were more sensitive to fluoxetine. Chronic exposure to acetamidophenol (10 mg/L, 15 mg/L, and 20 mg/L) inhibited reference population growth, whereas Rio Grande population growth was inhibited only at 15 mg/L and 20 mg/L. Population growth was inhibited at 200 mg/L and 300 mg/L of caffeine for both populations. Chronic exposure to fluoxetine (0.020 mg/L) significantly inhibited population growth for the Rio Grande population only. Triclosan (0.05 mg/L, 0.075 mg/L, 0.10 mg/L) had the most deleterious effects, significantly reducing both populations' growth rates. Sublethal effects of chronic exposure to PPCPs included decreased egg production and increased egg detachment. A mixed exposure (6 PPCPs, environmentally relevant concentrations) did not affect population growth in either population. However, the continuous introduction of a broad suite of PPCPs to aquatic ecosystems still may present a risk to aquatic communities. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015;34:913-922. © 2014 SETAC.