Pesticide residues in muscles of some marine fish species and seaweeds of Iskenderun Bay (Northeastern Mediterranean), Turkey

Pesticides in the environment: Degradation routes, pesticide transformation products and ecotoxicological considerations

Among rising environmental concerns, emerging contaminants constitute a variety of different chemicals and biological agents. The composition, residence time in environmental media, chemical interactions, and toxicity of emerging contaminants are not fully known, and hence, their regulation becomes problematic. Some of the important groups of emerging contaminants are pesticides and pesticide transformation products (PTPs), which present a considerable obstacle to maintaining and preserving ecosystem health. This review article aims to thoroughly comprehend the occurrence, fate, and ecotoxicological importance of pesticide transformation products (PTPs). The paper provides an overview of pesticides and PTPs as contaminants of emerging concern and discusses the modes of degradation of pesticides, their properties and associated risks. The degradation of pesticides, however, does not lead to complete destruction but can instead lead to the generation of PTPs. The review discusses the properties and toxicity of PTPs and presents the methods available for their detection. Moreover, the present study examines the existing regulatory framework and suggests the need for the development of new technologies for easy, routine detection of PTPs to regulate them effectively in the environment.

An assessment of approaches and techniques for estimating water pollution releases from aquaculture production facilities

The rapid expansion of the aquaculture industry raises concerns about water pollution from aquaculture production facilities (APFs). APFs release pollutants, including fish feed and feces, threatening the environment. The United Nations has introduced regulatory tools like the National Baseline Budget of pollutants (NBB) and Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs) to monitor pollution. However, these tools lack specific capabilities for estimating aquaculture-related pollution, especially from mariculture non-point sources (NPS). The United Nations Programme for the Assessment and Control of Marine Pollution in the Mediterranean (UNEP/MAP) stresses the need for an inventory and guidance document. Our comprehensive literature review focused on (1) NPS discharges of specific pollutants from APFs, (2) methods for estimating potential pollution releases from aquaculture, and (3) compiling information into a guidance document summarizing estimation methods. The geographical coverage of our study includes Europe, Australia, the USA, Canada, and East/Southeast Asia.

Pesticide concentration in three selected fish species and human health risk in the Lake Tana sub-basin, Ethiopia

Pesticide use has increased in the Lake Tana sub-basin due to increased agricultural activity, potentially endangering nontargeted organisms. To assess its potential impact on fish health and fish-consuming human populations, pesticide concentrations in the fillet and liver tissue of three fish species, namely Labeobarbus megastoma, Labeobarbus tsanensis, and Oreochromis niloticus, were investigated in Lake Tana. Fish samples were taken from the lake near the rivers of Ribb and Gumara, which flow through agricultural areas where considerable amounts of pesticides have been applied. A total of 96 fish samples were collected. Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) revealed the presence of ten pesticides. Pyrimethanil was frequently detected in 96% of liver and 65% of fillet samples at a median concentration of 33.9 µg kg-1 and 19.7 µg kg-1, respectively. The highest concentration of pyrimethanil was found in L. megastoma (1850.0 µg kg-1). Labeobarbus megastoma also had the highest concentration of oxamyl (507.0 µg kg-1) and flazasulfuron (60.1 µg kg-1) detected in the liver tissue. The highest concentration of carbaryl (56.5 µg kg-1) was found in the liver tissue of O. niloticus. Fish tissue samples from the two study sites contained pyrimethanil, oxamyl, carbaryl, and flazasulfuron. Only pyrimethanil showed a statistically significant difference between the two sites and the species L. megastoma and L. tsanensis. The amounts of pesticides found in the fish species pose no direct risk to the health of fish consumer human population. However, the results show that the lake ecosystem needs immediate attention and regular monitoring of the rising pesticide usage in the lake watershed.

Investigation of Global Trends of Pollutants in Marine Ecosystems around Barrang Caddi Island, Spermonde Archipelago Cluster: An Ecological Approach

High-quality marine ecosystems are free from global trending pollutants’ (GTP) contaminants. Accuracy and caution are needed during the exploitation of marine resources during marine tourism to prevent future ecological hazards that cause chain effects on aquatic ecosystems and humans. This article identifies exposure to GTP: microplastic (MP); polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH); pesticide residue (PR); heavy metal (HM); and medical waste (MW), in marine ecosystems in the marine tourism area (MTA) area and Barrang Caddi Island (BCI) waters. A combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis methods were used with analytical instruments and mathematical formulas. The search results show the average total abundance of MPs in seawater (5.47 units/m³) and fish samples (7.03 units/m³), as well as in the sediment and sponge samples (8.18 units/m³) and (8.32 units/m³). Based on an analysis of the polymer structure, it was identified that the dominant light group was MPs: polyethylene (PE); polypropylene (PP); polystyrene (PS); followed by polyamide-nylon (PA); and polycarbonate (PC). Several PAH pollutants were identified in the samples. In particular, naphthalene (NL) types were the most common pollutants in all of the samples, followed by pyrene (PN), and azulene (AZ). Pb⁺² and Cu⁺² pollutants around BCI were successfully calculated, showing average concentrations in seawater of 0.164 ± 0.0002 mg/L and 0.293 ± 0.0007 mg/L, respectively, while in fish, the concentrations were 1.811 ± 0.0002 µg/g and 4.372 ± 0.0003 µg/g, respectively. Based on these findings, the BCI area is not recommended as a marine tourism destination.

Examining the developmental toxicity of piperonyl butoxide as a Sonic hedgehog pathway inhibitor

Piperonyl butoxide (PBO) is a semisynthetic chemical present in hundreds of pesticide formulations used in agricultural, commercial, and residential settings. PBO acts as a pesticide synergist by inhibiting insect cytochrome P450 enzymes and is often present at much higher concentrations than active insecticidal ingredients. PBO was recently discovered to also inhibit Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling, a key molecular pathway in embryonic development and in brain and face morphogenesis. Recent animal model studies have shown that in utero PBO exposure can cause overt craniofacial malformations or more subtle neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Related adverse developmental outcomes in humans are etiologically heterogeneous, and, while studies are limited, PBO exposure during pregnancy has been linked to neurodevelopmental deficits. Contextualized in PBO's newly recognized mechanism as a Shh signaling inhibitor, these findings support more rigorous examination of the developmental toxicity of PBO and its potential contribution to etiologically complex human birth defects. In this review, we highlight environmental sources of human PBO exposure and summarize existing animal studies examining the developmental impact of prenatal PBO exposure. Also presented are critical knowledge gaps in our understanding of PBO's pharmacokinetics and potential role in gene-environment and environment-environment interactions that should be addressed to better understand the human health impact of environmental PBO exposure.

Differential responses of larval zebrafish to the fungicide propamocarb: Endpoints at development, locomotor behavior and oxidative stress

The fungicide propamocarb (PM) is widely used to protect cucumbers, tomatoes and other plants from pathogens. According to previous studies, PM could be detected in the aquatic system in some area. However, the toxic effects of PM on zebrafish received very limited attention. In this study, we examined the toxic effects of various concentration of PM on the endpoints of development, locomotor behavior and oxidative stress in larval zebrafish. It was observed that PM exposure delayed embryonic development, inhibited hatchability at 60 and 72 h postfertilization and increased heart rate. After PM exposure, the larval zebrafish showed abnormal free swimming behavior and the swimming behavior in response to light-dark transition, indicating that PM had the potential to induce neurotoxicity. Moreover, PM exposure also affected the enzymatic activity of acetylcholinesterase and dopamine and the transcriptional level of genes related to neurotoxicity. In addition, PM exposure not only affects catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity but also affects the transcription level of various genes. We believed that PM induced oxidative stress was also a possible reason to cause neurotoxicity in larval zebrafish. In summary, our results suggested that PM could disturb the endpoints at development, locomotor behavior and oxidative stress in larval zebrafish.

Phycocosmetics and Other Marine Cosmetics, Specific Cosmetics Formulated Using Marine Resources

Marine resources exist in vast numbers and show enormous diversity. As a result, there are likely many possible applications for marine molecules of interest in the cosmetic industry, whether as excipients or additives, but especially as active substances. It is possible to obtain extracts from active substances; for example, quite a few algae species can be used in moisturizing or anti-ageing products. In the field of topical photoprotection, mycosporine-like amino acids and gadusol are important lines of enquiry that should not be overlooked. In the field of additives, the demonstration that certain seaweed (algae) extracts have antimicrobial properties suggests that they could provide alternatives to currently authorized preservatives. These promising leads must be explored, but it should be kept in mind that it is a long process to bring ingredients to market that are both effective and safe to use.