Toxicity of Antiretrovirals on the Sea Urchin Echinometra lucunter and Its Predicted Environmental Concentration in Seawater from Santos Bay (Brazilian Coastal Zone)

Renato Sakai Cid, Vinicius Roveri, Diogo Guedes Vidal, Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis, Fernando Sanzi Cortez, Flávia Rigos Salgueiro, Walber Toma, Augusto Cesar and Luciana Lopes Guimarães
Additional contact information
Renato Sakai Cid: Natural Products Research Laboratory, Santa Cecília University (UNISANTA), Rua Cesário Mota 8, F83A, Santos 11045-040, SP, Brazil
Vinicius Roveri: Education Department, Metropolitan University of Santos (UNIMES), Avenida Conselheiro Nébias, 536, Encruzilhada, Santos 11045-002, SP, Brazil
Diogo Guedes Vidal: UFP Energy, Environment and Health Research Unit (FP-ENAS), Faculty of Science and Technology, University Fernando Pessoa (UFP), 4249-004 Porto, Portugal
Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis: UFP Energy, Environment and Health Research Unit (FP-ENAS), Faculty of Science and Technology, University Fernando Pessoa (UFP), 4249-004 Porto, Portugal
Fernando Sanzi Cortez: Ecotoxicology Laboratory, Santa Cecília University (UNISANTA), Rua Oswaldo Cruz 266, Santos 11045-907, SP, Brazil
Flávia Rigos Salgueiro: Natural Products Research Laboratory, Santa Cecília University (UNISANTA), Rua Cesário Mota 8, F83A, Santos 11045-040, SP, Brazil
Walber Toma: Natural Products Research Laboratory, Santa Cecília University (UNISANTA), Rua Cesário Mota 8, F83A, Santos 11045-040, SP, Brazil
Augusto Cesar: Ecotoxicology Laboratory, Santa Cecília University (UNISANTA), Rua Oswaldo Cruz 266, Santos 11045-907, SP, Brazil
Luciana Lopes Guimarães: Natural Products Research Laboratory, Santa Cecília University (UNISANTA), Rua Cesário Mota 8, F83A, Santos 11045-040, SP, Brazil

Resources, 2021, vol. 10, issue 11, 1-12

Abstract: Antiretrovirals (ARVs) have been detected in aquatic ecosystems throughout the world; however, studies focused on assessing their ecotoxicological effects on marine aquatic organisms are still rare. In the present study, the predicted environmental concentration ( PEC ) of 13 ARVs was estimated for surface seawater from Santos Bay, Brazil, according to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) guidelines. The results indicated that all ARVs need to be assessed for their ecological effects, considering that they all exceeded the EMEA guideline limits ( PEC > 0.01 µg L −1 ). In this sense, three ARVs (namely atazanavir, nevirapine and efavirenz) were selected for the acute and chronic tests with sea urchin ( Echinometra lucunter ). Furthermore, the Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) for these three ARVs was also performed by calculating the risk quotient. The acute and chronic toxicity results showed inhibitory concentrations ( IC ) for the fertilization ( IC 50 ; 1 h; range: 11.46–84.61 mg L −1 ) and for the embryo–larval development ( IC 50 ; 42 h; range: 0.52–0.97 mg L −1 ) of the sea urchin, respectively. Moreover, the ERA showed that these three ARVs are potentially hazardous for aquatic life in Santos Bay, raising concerns about the continuous introduction of ARVs in aquatic ecosystems. The data presented may contribute to the provision of subsidies for the development of monitoring public policies that aim to reduce the introduction of ARVs into the aquatic environment.

Keywords: subtropical coastal zone; waste treatment; ocean dumping; antiretrovirals; predicted environmental concentration; ecotoxicology; risk assessment; pollution effects (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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