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This study explores the photocatalytic transformation of the antiviral drug abacavir employing different advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) such as UV/TiO2, UV/MOF/H2O2, UV/MOF/S2O82−, UV/Fe2+/H2O2, and UV/Fe2+/S2O82−. All processes appear to be effective in eliminating abacavir within a few minutes, while the evolution profile of the basic transformation product, descyclopropyl-abacavir (TP-247) was also monitored. Moreover, the implementation of the most efficient technologies towards the removal of abacavir in different matrices such as wastewater effluent and leachate was also assessed, revealing that the organic matter present or the inorganic constituents can retard the whole process. Four major transformation products were detected, and their time-evolution profiles were recorded in all studied matrices, revealing that different transformation pathways dominate in each matrix. Finally, the prediction of the toxicity of the major TPs employing ECOSAR software was conducted and showed that only hydroxylation can play a detoxification role in the treated solution.

The toxicity of endocrinologically active pharmaceuticals finasteride (FIN) and melengestrol acetate (MGA) was assessed in freshwater mussels, including acute (48 h) aqueous tests with glochidia from Lampsilis siliquoidea, sub-chronic (14 days) sediment tests with gravid female Lampsilis fasciola, and chronic (28 days) sediment tests with juvenile L. siliquoidea, and in chronic (42 days) sediment tests with the amphipod Hyalella azteca and the mayfly Hexagenia spp. Finasteride was not toxic in acute aqueous tests with L. siliquoidea glochidia (up to 23 mg/L), whereas significant toxicity to survival and burial ability was detected in chronic sediment tests with juvenile L. siliquoidea (chronic value (ChV, the geometric mean of LOEC and NOEC) = 58 mg/kg (1 mg/L)). Amphipods (survival, growth, reproduction, and sex ratio) and mayflies (growth) were similarly sensitive (ChV = 58 mg/kg (1 mg/L)). Melengestrol acetate was acutely toxic to L. siliquoidea glochidia at 4 mg/L in aqueous tests; in sediment tests, mayflies were the most sensitive species, with significant growth effects observed at 37 mg/kg (0.25 mg/L) (ChV = 21 mg/kg (0.1 mg/L)). Exposure to sublethal concentrations of FIN and MGA had no effect on the (luring and filtering) behaviour of gravid L. fasciola, or the viability of their brooding glochidia. Based on the limited number of measured environmental concentrations of both chemicals, and their projected concentrations, no direct effects are expected by these compounds individually on the invertebrates tested. However, organisms are exposed to contaminant mixtures in the aquatic environment, and thus, the effects of FIN and MGA as components of these mixtures require further investigation.

Recently, the presence of illicit drugs in effluents from Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) and the aquatic environment has raised concern over their possible negative effects on aquatic organisms. In this study, therefore ecotoxicological data was retrieved through a literature survey and by using the software ECOSAR. Predicted No Effect Concentrations (PNEC) of five types of illicit drugs and their metabolites including 1. Cocaine (COC) and its metabolite Benzoylecgonine (BE), 2. Amphetamine (AMPH), 3. Methamphetamine (METH), 4. Cannabis ((delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-Nor-9-carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-CCOH)) and 5. 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) for species of three trophic levels in aquatic ecosystems derived. Predicted Environmental Concentrations (PEC) of above-mentioned drugs in twelve WWTPs’ influent and two effluents in Halland County have been measured by Swedish Toxicology Research Center (SWETOX co). Acute and chronic Risk Quotients (RQ) of the mixture of illicit drugs based upon two novel approaches calculated for the effluents of two WWTPs. Wastewater treatment plant in Ängstorp found with better removal efficiency of above- mentioned illicit drugs and the lower total RQs of (0.01

The rough scad, Trachurus lathami Nichols, 1920, is a small pelagic species distributed along the West Atlantic coast. It is most abundant in the Southern Brazil (28°30’-34°S) and in the Southeastern Brazilian Bight (SEBB, 22°-28°30’S). The rough scad is fished by purse seines, which main target is the Brazilian sardine, Sardinella brasiliensis (Steindachner, 1879). Age and growth are vital to understand the life cycle of a species, to fishery management and ecosystem modeling. This study aimed to assess the age and growth of T. lathami, to identify its age structure in the SEBB, and to evaluate what causes the wide differences among Trachurus species in terms of body size and growth parameters. Data available on T. lathami was attained between 2008 and 2010 from surveys at SEBB. A total of 278 whole otoliths of T. lathami, total length between 27 mm and 208 mm, were analyzed and compared with the only other source of otolith data, from 1975. Three blind readings were performed and assessed using traditional methods to study fish age and growth. Zero up to eight rings were found, each ring corresponding to one year in the life of an individual of this species. The von Bertalanffy growth model parameters were L∞ = 211.90 mm and K = 0.319 year-1. The results of the analyses have shown similarities between 1975 and 2008-2010, indicating that the otolith development, the growth pattern and the age structure remained stable. T. lathami is the smallest species of Trachurus and it has the highest growth rates among them. This is probably related to the different temperatures where larvae/juvenile and adult grow, to the absence of a strong fishing pressure and to decadal population variability.

The authors also gratefully acknowledge L. Geoffroy, L. Chancerelle and P. Pandard from the INERIS Institut.; International audience; To limit in vivo experiments, the use of quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) is advocated by REACH regulation to predict the required fish, invertebrate, and algae EC50 for chemical registration. The aim of this work was to develop reliable QSARs in order to model both invertebrate and algae EC50 for organic solvents, regardless of the mechanism of toxic action involved. EC50 represents the concentration producing the 50 % immobilization of invertebrates or the 50 % growth inhibition of algae. The dataset was composed of 122 organic solvents chemically heterogeneous which were characterized by their invertebrate and/or algae EC50. These solvents were described by physico-chemical descriptors and quantum theoretical parameters calculated via density functional theory. QSAR models were developed by multiple linear regression using the ordinary least squares method and descriptor selection was performed by the Kubinyi function. Invertebrate EC50 was well-described with LogP, dielectric constant, surface tension, and minimal atomic Mulliken charges while algae EC50 of organic solvents (except amines) was predicted with LogP and LUMO energy. To evaluate robustness and predictive performance of the QSARs developed, several strategies have been used to select solvent training sets (random, EC50-based selection and a space-filling design) and both internal and external validations were performed.

International audience; REACH regulation requires ecotoxicological data to characterize industrial chemicals. To limit in vivo testing, Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSARs) are advocated to predict toxicity of a molecule. In this context, the topic of this work was to develop a reliable QSAR explaining the experimental acute toxicity of organic solvents for fish trophic level. Toxicity was expressed as log(LC50), the concentration in mmol.L-1 producing the 50% death of fish. The 141 chemically heterogeneous solvents of the dataset were described by physico-chemical descriptors and quantum theoretical parameters calculated via Density Functional Theory. The best subsets of solvent descriptors for LC50 prediction were chosen both through the Kubinyi function associated with Enhanced Replacement Method and a stepwise forward multiple linear regressions. The 4-parameters selected in the model were the octanol-water partition coefficient, LUMO energy, dielectric constant and surface tension. The predictive power and robustness of the QSAR developed were assessed by internal and external validations. Several techniques for training sets selection were evaluated: a random selection, a LC50-based selection, a balanced selection in terms of toxic and non-toxic solvents, a solvent profile-based selection with a space filling technique and a D-optimality onions-based selection. A comparison with fish LC50 predicted by ECOSAR model validated for neutral organics confirmed the interest of the QSAR developed for the prediction of organic solvent aquatic toxicity regardless of the mechanism of toxic action involved.

The thermal decomposition of Fenitrothion [phosphorothioic acid O,O-diethyl O-(3-methyl-4-nitrophenyl) ester] was investigated. Results obtained by different scale calorimetric techniques show that the thermal decomposition of Fenitrothion involves two main steps. Intermediate and final thermal degradation products formed during isothermal and adiabatic thermal decomposition experiments were identified. The eco-toxicological profile of the decomposition products was assessed experimentally and compared to results obtained with a predictive software (ECOSAR). A specific index was defined to assess the change in ecotoxicity profile of decomposition products with respect to the original compound.

Aromatic amines (anilines and related derivates) are an important class of environmental pollutants that can be released to the aquatic environment as industrial effluents or as breakdown products of pesticides and dyes. The toxicities of aniline, 2-chloroaniline, 3-chloroaniline, 4-chloroaniline and 3,5-dichloroaniline towards a multitrophic test battery comprised of bacteria Aliivibrio fischeri (formerly Vibrio fischeri), a ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila and two crustaceans (Daphnia magna and Thamnocephalus platyurus) were investigated. Under the applied test conditions, the toxicities of the anilines notably varied among the test species. The bacteria and protozoa were much less sensitive towards the anilines than the crustaceans: EC50 values 13-403 mg L-1 versus 0.13-15.2 mg L-1. No general tendency between toxicity and the chemical structure of the anilines (the degree of chloro-substitution and the position of the chloro-substituents) was found in the case of all the tested aquatic species. The replacement of the artificial test medium (ATM) by the river water remarkably decreased the toxicity of anilines to crustaceans but not to protozoa. This research is part of the EU 6th Framework Integrated Project OSIRIS, in which ecotoxicogenomic studies of anilines (e.g., for Daphnia magna) will also be performed that may help to clarify the mechanisms of toxicity of different anilines.

The spatial distribution of small pelagic fishes off the Southeastern Brazilian coastal area (22°-29°S) was investigated over six periods, from 1995 to 2010, in the context of the Program "Prospection and Assessment of the Biomass of the Sardine, Sardinella brasiliensis " in order to provide data about their pattern of distribution and biomass. A checklist of the species collected is presented herein with data on geographic position and depth of captures. Such information is intended to be a reference about the fauna that occupied the region in the period under investigation, and allow future comparisons about the resilience of the local fauna, i.e., the detection of future changes caused by environmental factors or human activities. Sampling was conducted during hydroacoustic surveys with mid water trawling plus a few purse seine operations between 10 m and 100 m depth. A total of 86 species were collected.