The consumption of anticancer agents has increased in the recent decades, and these substances may be present in sewage. Consequently, they may reach the environment when sanitation infrastructure is ineffective. This study evaluated the toxicity of three anticancer agents—Tamoxifen (TAM), Cisplatin (CisPt), and Cyclophosphamide (CP)—on the development of embryos of the sand-dollar Mellita quinquiesperforata. Adult individuals were collected in sandy beaches, and gametes were obtained. Freshly-fertilized eggs were exposed to increasing sets of concentrations of each compound, and the effective concentrations needed to cause a 50% effect in the organisms (EC50) were calculated. The three compounds were toxic, and their EC50 values were 16.78 ± 2.42 ng·L⁻¹ (TAM), 27.20 ± 38.26 ng·L⁻¹ (CisPt), and 101.82 ± 70.96 ng·L⁻¹ (CP). There is no information on the environmental levels of these compounds in Brazil, but as they were already detected in ng·L⁻¹ levels worldwide, it can be expected that these substances pose environmental risks to the marine biota.

在最近的几十年中，抗癌药的消耗量增加了，这些物质可能存在于污水中。因此，当卫生基础设施失效时，它们可能到达环境。这项研究评估了三种抗癌药（他莫昔芬（TAM），顺铂（CisPt）和环磷酰胺（CP））对沙质美元五味子胚胎发育的毒性。在沙滩上收集成年个体，并获得配子。将新鲜受精的卵暴露于各化合物浓度递增的集合中，并计算出对生物造成50％影响所需的有效浓度（EC50）。这三种化合物是有毒的，其EC50值分别为16.78±2.42 ng·L ^-1（TAM），27.20±38.26 ng·L^-1（CisPt），和101.82±70.96 ng·L ^-1（CP）。目前尚无关于这些化合物在巴西的环境水平的信息，但是由于全世界已经以ng·L ^-1的水平检测到这些化合物，因此可以预期这些物质对海洋生物群构成环境风险。