Personal care products: an emerging threat to the marine bivalve Ruditapes philippinarum

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In the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in understanding the behavior of personal care products (PCPs) in the aquatic environment. In this regard, the aim of this study is to estimate the accumulation and effects of four PCPs within the clam Ruditapes philippinarum. The PCPs selected were triclosan, OTNE, benzophenone-3, and octocrylene. A progressive uptake was observed and maximum concentrations in tissues were reached at the end of the exposure phase, up to levels of 0.68 µg g−1, 24 µg g−1, 0.81 µg g−1, and 1.52 µg g−1 for OTNE, BP-3, OC, and TCS, respectively. After the PCP post-exposure period, the removal percentages were higher than 65%. The estimated logarithm bioconcentration factor ranged from 3.34 to 2.93, in concordance with the lipophobicity of each substance. No lethal effects were found although significant changes were observed for ethoxyresorufin O-demethylase activity, glutathione S-transferase activity, lipid peroxidation, and DNA damage.

Funding for open access publishing: Universidad de Cádiz/CBUA. This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (CTM2015-70731-R) and PID2019-11049RB-100. Marta Sendra wishes to acknowledge her Juan de la Cierva Incorporación contract (IJC2020-043162-I) funded by MCIN/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union NextGenerationEU/PR. Gabriela Aguirre acknowledges the financial support of P09-RNM-5136 and Fondecyt 11180466 supported by the regional government of Andalusia (Spain) and National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (Government of Chile), respectively. The authors would also like to acknowledge the Laboratory of Aquaculture at the Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences (University of Cadiz) for their support. Open Access funding provided by University of Cadiz.

Peer reviewed