Little is known about effects of maternally transferred contaminants in snakes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate sublethal effects of maternally transferred mercury (Hg) on neonatal northern watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon). We captured 31 gravid females along a historically Hg-contaminated river. Following birth, we measured litter Hg concentrations and assessed locomotor performance, foraging ability (i.e., number of prey eaten, latency to first strike, strike efficiency, and handling time), and learning (i.e., change in foraging measures over time) in their offspring (n = 609). Mercury concentrations in offspring negatively correlated with motivation to feed and strike efficiency. Over time, strike efficiency and latency to strike decreased for all snakes in the study. However, offspring from contaminated areas maintained consistently lower efficiencies than reference individuals. This study is the first to examine sublethal behavioral effects of maternally transferred contaminants in snakes and suggests that maternally transferred Hg negatively affects offspring behavior.

The toxicity of atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Atlanta is assessed using freshwater rotifers (Brachionus calyciflorus). The PM-laden quartz filters were extracted in both water and methanol. Aerosol extracts were passed through a C-18 column to separate the PM components into hydrophobic and hydrophilic fractions. Toxicity data reported in the units of LC50 (concentration that kills 50% of the test population in 24 h) shows that ambient particles are toxic to the rotifers with LC50 values ranging from 5 to 400 μg of PM. The methanol extract of the aerosols was substantially more toxic (8 ± 6 times) to the rotifers compared to the water extracts. A sizeable fraction (>70%) of toxicity was found to be associated with the hydrophobic fraction of PM. However, none of the bulk aerosol species was strongly correlated with the LC50 values suggesting a complicated mechanism of toxicity probably involving synergistic interactions of various PM components.

Maternal transfer of mercury in fish represents a potential route of elimination for adult females and a risk to developing embryos. To better quantify maternal transfer, we measured Hg in female largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) muscle and eggs from six waterbodies. Mercury in eggs from two waterbodies exceeded a US federal screening level (0.3 μg g−1) and was likely high enough to cause adverse reproductive effects. We found a curvilinear relationship between female and egg Hg. Fish with <0.37 μg g−1 Hg had low levels of Hg in eggs; those with Hg >0.37 μg g−1 showed a direct relationship between egg and muscle Hg (Log10 egg Hg = −1.03 + 1.18 * log10 muscle tissue Hg + 2.15 * (log10 muscle tissue Hg + 0.35)2). We also report higher maternal transfer (0.2–13.2%) and higher ratios of egg to muscle tissue Hg (4–52%) and egg to whole body Hg concentrations (7–116%) than previously observed for teleost fish.

Although mercury bio-amplifies through the food chain and accumulates in top predators, mercury concentrations in tissues of the wandering albatross are greater than in any other vertebrate, including closely related species. In order to explore the alternative explanations for this pattern, we measured total mercury concentrations in feathers, plasma and blood cells of wandering albatrosses of known age, sex and breeding status sampled at South Georgia. Mercury concentrations were low in feathers and blood components of chicks, and higher in the feathers of young pre-breeders than in feathers or blood of older pre-breeders and breeding adults. There was no effect of sex on mercury concentrations in the feathers of pre-breeders or breeding adults, whereas levels were significantly higher in blood cells of breeding females than males. The high feather mercury concentrations of young pre-breeders compared with older birds suggest an increase in moult frequency as birds approach maturity.

Selective supercritical fluid extraction (SSFE) was used as a measurement of compound chemical accessibility and as a predictor of compound bioavailability from three natural soils and artificial analogues prepared to have comparable total organic carbon content. Soils spiked with phenanthrene, pyrene, PCB 153, lindane, and p,p′-DDT were aged for 0, 14, 28, or 56 days and then selectively extracted by supercritical fluid extraction. Compounds exhibited decreasing extractability with increasing pollutant–soil contact time and increasing total organic carbon content in tested soils. However, the different extractability of compounds from artificial and natural pairs having comparable TOC indicates the limitations of using TOC as an extrapolation basis between various soils. The comparison of extractability with bioaccumulation by earthworms (Eisenia fetida) previously published by Vlčková and Hofman (2012) showed that only for PAHs it was possible to predict their bioaccumulation by means of selective SFE.

The trophic transfer of pyrene metabolites was studied using Gammarus setosus as a predator and the invertebrates Lumbriculus variegatus and Chironomus riparius as prey. The results obtained by liquid scintillation counting confirmed that the pyrene metabolites produced by the aquatic invertebrates L. variegatus and C. riparius were transferred to G. setosus through the diet. More detailed analyses by liquid chromatography discovered that two of the metabolites produced by C. riparius appeared in the chromatograms of G. setosus tissue extracts, proving their trophic transfer. These metabolites were not present in chromatograms of G. setosus exclusively exposed to pyrene. The present study supports the trophic transfer of PAH metabolites between benthic macroinvertebrates and common species of an arctic amphipod. As some PAH metabolites are more toxic than the parent compounds, the present study raises concerns about the consequences of their trophic transfer and the fate and effects of PAHs in natural environments.

One-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics was used to investigate the toxic mode of action (MOA) of endosulfan, an organochlorine pesticide, and its degradation product, endosulfan sulfate, to Eisenia fetida earthworms in soil. Three soil concentrations (0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 mg/kg) were used for both endosulfan and endosulfan sulfate. Both earthworm coelomic fluid (CF) and tissues were extracted and then analyzed using 1H and 1H–13C NMR techniques. A similar separation trajectory was observed for endosulfan and endosulfan sulfate-exposed earthworms in the mean principal component analysis (PCA) scores plot for both the earthworm CF and tissue extracts.A neurotoxic and apoptotic MOA was postulated for both endosulfan and endosulfan sulfate exposed earthworms as significant fluctuations in glutamine/GABA–glutamate cycle metabolites and spermidine were detected respectively. This study highlights the application of NMR-based metabolomics to understand molecular-level toxicity of persistent organochlorine pesticides and their degradation products directly in soil.

Legacy halogenated compounds, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and emerging organo-halogen pollutants such as Dechlorane Plus (DP), were detected in fish from an old industrial region in Northeast China. PCBs and PBDEs were detected in all of the samples, with concentrations ranging from 38.15 to 170.51 ng/g lipid weight, and 9.40–39.69 ng/g lipid weight, respectively. DP was detected in more than 90% of the samples with concentrations ranging from not detected (ND) to 470 pg g/g lipid weight. Compared with similar data in other areas of the world, PCBs, PBDEs and DP in fish from Liaohe River were at medium or low level. An unusually high percentage of PCB-209 was first reported in the fish samples collected from China. Other halogenated pollutions, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites, octachlorostyrene, chlorinated anisole, chlorinated thioanisole, triclosan-methyl, and other pesticides, have also been identified in the fish samples.

Artificial surfaces for outdoor sporting grounds may pose environmental and health hazards that are difficult to assess due to their complex chemical composition. Ecotoxicity tests can indicate general hazardous impacts. We conducted growth inhibition (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata) and acute toxicity tests (Daphnia magna) with leachates obtained from batch tests of granular infill material and column tests of complete sporting ground assemblies. Ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM) leachate showed the highest effect on Daphnia magna (EC50 < 0.4% leachate) and the leachate of scrap tires made of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) had the highest effect on P. subcapitata (EC10 = 4.2% leachate; EC50 = 15.6% leachate). We found no correlations between ecotoxicity potential of leachates and zinc and PAH concentrations. Leachates obtained from column tests revealed lower ecotoxicological potential. Leachates of column tests of complete assemblies may be used for a reliable risk assessment of artificial sporting grounds.

Cocaine and its metabolites are the prevalent psychotropic substances in aquatic environment. However, to date the knowledge on their adverse effects to non-target organisms is inadequate. The aims of this study were to investigate sub-lethal effects induced by the ecgonine methyl ester (EME) to the freshwater bivalve Dreissena polymorpha and to compare its toxicity to that by benzoylecgonine (BE), the other main cocaine metabolite. EME sub-lethal effects were investigated by 14 days in-vivo exposures and a multi-biomarker approach. Slight variations in biomarker responses were found at 0.15 μg/L treatment. 0.5 μg/L EME treatment induced destabilization of lysosome membranes, an overall inactivation of defense enzymes, increases in lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation and DNA fragmentation, but no variations in fixed genetic damage. The use of a biomarker response index (BRI) showed that at 0.5 μg/L both cocaine metabolites had the same toxicity to zebra mussels specimens.