Toxicity of anthelmintic drugs (fenbendazole and flubendazole) to aquatic organisms

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 22; no. 4; pp. 2566 - 2573
• Main Authors: Wagil, Marta, Białk-Bielińska, Anna, Puckowski, Alan, Wychodnik, Katarzyna, Maszkowska, Joanna, Mulkiewicz, Ewa, Kumirska, Jolanta, Stepnowski, Piotr, Stolte, Stefan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01-02-2015; Springer Berlin Heidelberg; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adsorption; Algae; Aliivibrio fischeri - drug effects; Aliivibrio fischeri - metabolism; Analytical chemistry; Animals; Anthelmintics - toxicity; Antiparasitic agents; Aquatic organisms; Aquatic plants; Aquatic Pollution; Araceae - drug effects; Araceae - growth & development; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bacteria; Benzimidazoles; Bioavailability; Biota; Chemical analysis; Chemicals; Crustaceans; Daphnia - drug effects; Daphnia - growth & development; Daphnia magna; Drugs; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; fenbendazole; Fenbendazole - toxicity; Floating plants; flubendazole; Influenza; Intestinal parasites; Lemna minor; Mebendazole - analogs & derivatives; Mebendazole - toxicity; Medical research; medicine; Organisms; Parasites; Pharmaceutical industry; Pollutants; pollution; Research Article; Scenedesmus - drug effects; Scenedesmus - physiology; Scenedesmus vacuolatus; Sensitivity analysis; Shellfish; Toxicity; Veterinary medicine; Vibrio fischeri; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Water Pollution Control; Fenbendazole; Benzimidazoles; Anthelmintic drugs; Flubendazole; Aquatic species; Ecotoxicity
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-3497-0

Flubendazole (FLU) and fenbendazole (FEN) belong to benzimidazoles—pharmaceuticals widely used in veterinary and human medicine for the treatment of intestinal parasites as well as for the treatment of systemic worm infections. In recent years, usage of these drugs increased, which resulted in a larger contamination of the environment and possible negative effects on biota. Hence, in our research, we investigated an aquatic ecotoxicity of these pharmaceuticals towards: marine bacteria (Vibrio fischeri), green algae (Scenedesmus vacuolatus), duckweed (Lemna minor) and crustacean (Daphnia magna). Ecotoxicity tests were combined with chemical analysis in order to investigate the actual exposure concentration of the compounds used in the experiment as well as to stability and adsorption studies. As a result, study evaluating sensitivity of different aquatic organisms to these compounds and new ecotoxicological data is presented. The strongest negative impact of FLU and FEN was observed to D. magna.