There is no use restriction associated with bees for many fungicides used in agriculture; however, this does not always mean that these pesticides are harmless for these non‐target organisms. We investigated whether the fungicide pyraclostrobin, which acts on fungal mitochondria, also negatively affects honey bee mitochondrial bioenergetics. Honey bees were collected from five hives and anesthetized

As part of an effort to develop avian ecotoxicity information for poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) associated with aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) used by the Department of Defense, the subacute toxicity of PFOS, PFOA, PFOS + PFOA, 3M AFFF and Ansul AFFF to Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) chicks was determined

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are an important source of mercury (Hg) to surface waters, but little is known about temporal variability of efflux to aquatic systems. We found that Hg concentrations in effluent varied by about a factor of two on monthly, weekly, and hourly time scale comparisons. These results suggest that limited sampling can yield a representative concentration with reasonable

The commercialization of RNA-based agricultural products requires robust ecological risk assessments. Ecological risk is operationally defined as a function of exposure and adverse effects. Information on the environmental fate of RNA-based plant-incorporated protectants (PIPs) is essential to define routes and duration of exposure to potentially sensitive non-target organisms (NTOs). Providing these

Elevated levels of lead have been found in waterfowl, due to human activities. Lead may cause immunomodulatory effects, but the mechanisms are largely unknown, especially upon viral challenges. To characterize avian immunomodulatory hazards of Pb2+ , we used chicken macrophage (HD-11) and B-lymphocyte (DT40) cell lines, as in vitro models for the innate and adaptive immune system respectively. The

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a broad class of environmentally persistent chemicals that include thousands of potentially toxic synthetic organic molecules. Some PFAS have been shown to cause adverse health effects including decreased total cholesterol, birth weight, and reproductive success in laboratory animals; however, a lack of chronic toxicity data exists for PFAS in avian ecological

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are pervasive in aquatic systems globally and capable of causing detrimental effects on human and wildlife health. However, most studies are conducted under artificial conditions that are not representative of environmental exposures. Environmental exposures are characterized by multiple routes of exposure, low aquatic PFAS levels, and greater environmental variability

In ecotoxicology and aquatic ecology, we often ignore responses of individuals and focus on average responses. Yet, both terrestrial and aquatic animals display consistent behavioural differences between individuals. The distribution of behavioural differences within a population contains vital information for predicting population responses to novel environmental challenges. Currently, individual

Performing toxicity testing on multiple species with differing degrees of evolutionary relatedness can provide important information on how chemical sensitivity varies among species and can help pinpoint the biological drivers of species sensitivity. Such knowledge could ultimately be used to design better multi-species predictive ecological risk assessment models and identify particularly sensitive

Observations of microplastic particles (MPs) in the environment and their detection in the stomachs and intestines of aquatic organisms have been observed routinely over the last 50 years. In this review, the ingestion of plastic debris of varying sizes is collated, including data for >800 species representing approximately 87,000 individual organisms, for which plastic debris and MPs are observed

The current study pertains to a POCIS laboratory calibration to estimate the sampling rates (Rs) for 44 pharmaceuticals featuring a wide range of polarity (‐0.6 < logKow < 5.4). The calibration was performed at 16.0° ± 1.5°C for 4 water flow velocities (0, 2‐3, 6‐7 and 20 cm/s) in both a tank (for calibration at 0 cm/s) and a laboratory‐scale artificial river filled with 200 and 500 L of tap water

Recent regulatory testing programs have been designed to evaluate whether a chemical has the potential to interact with the endocrine system and could cause adverse effects. Some endocrine pathways are highly conserved among vertebrates, providing a potential to extrapolate data generated for one vertebrate taxonomic group to others (i.e., biological read-across). To assess the potential for biological

Chlorination is commonly used to control biofouling organisms, but chlorine rapidly hydrolyzes in seawater to hypochlorite, which undergoes further reaction with bromide, and then with organic matter. These reaction products, collectively termed chlorine-produced oxidants (CPOs), can be toxic to marine biota. Because the lifetime of the most toxic forms is limited to several days, appropriate guideline

Microplastics are emerging threat contaminants that have been shown to provide toxic pollutants, either from the environment or from their inherent toxic monomers and additives, a pathway into the aquatic food web. In the present study, the occurrence, abundance, and composition of microplastic load in the surface water of Lake Naivasha (Kenya) was determined. The surface water physicochemical parameters

To accurately predict the environmental fate of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), high quality physicochemical property data is required. Since such data is often not available from experiment, the assessment of the accuracy of existing property estimation models is essential. In this work, the quality of predicted physicochemical data for a set of 25 PFASs is examined using COSMOtherm,

Water quality standards for cobalt (Co) have not been developed for the European Union or United States. The objective of the present study was to produce freshwater Co toxicity data that could be used by both the European Union and the United States to develop appropriate regulatory standards (i.e., environmental quality standards or predicted-no-effect concentrations in Europe and ambient water quality

It is often difficult to compare studies examining the effects of endectocides on dung fauna because of different experimental approaches, for example, active ingredients (eprinomectin, doramectin, ivermectin, moxidectin) and formulations (injectable, pour‐on, spiked). To gain a better understanding, we performed a quantitative meta‐analysis using 22 studies to assess the overall effect of endectocide

Determination of the median effective concentration (EC50) of Cu, on Mytilus galloprovincialis larvae, by diffusive gradient in thin-films (DGT) has been shown to effectively reduce the need to consider dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and quality. Standard toxicity test protocol was used to validate previously modelled protective effects, afforded to highly sensitive marine larvae by ligand

Lead poisoning of scavenging birds is a global issue. However, the drivers of lead exposure of avian scavengers have been understood from the perspective of individual species, not cross-taxa assemblages. We analyzed blood (n = 285) and liver (n = 226) lead concentrations of 5 facultative (American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos)

Dried blood spots (DBS), created by applying and drying a whole blood sample onto filter paper, provide a simple and minimally invasive procedure for collecting, transporting, and storing blood. Because DBS are ideal for use in field and resource-limited settings, we aimed to develop a simple and accurate DBS-based approach for assessing mercury (Hg) exposure and dietary carbon sources for landlocked

Estrogen toxicity has been an area of priority in aquatic toxicology over the last 20 years. Currently, the estrogen toxicity is primarily linked to classical estrogen signalling, ERα and ERβ, interaction. Recent evidence has indicated that a rapid, non-genomic, non-classical estrogen signaling pathway exists via the G protein coupled estrogen receptor (GPER). GPER is expressed in many biological systems

Predictive approaches to assessing the toxicity of contaminant mixtures have been largely limited to chemicals that exert effects through the same biological molecular initiating event. However, by understanding specific pathways through which chemicals exert effects, it may be possible to identify shared "downstream" nodes as the basis for forecasting interactive effects of chemicals with different

Establishment and maintenance of milkweed plants (Asclepias spp.) in agricultural landscapes of the North Central United States is needed to reverse the decline of North America's eastern monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) population. Due to lack of toxicity data it is unclear how insecticide use may reduce monarch productivity when milkweed habitat is placed near maize and soybean fields. To assess

Toxicity reference values for PFAS vary even when the same test organism is studied. While the need to confirm dosing solution concentrations is widely accepted, there are no experimental data to inform best practices when preparing PFAS solutions. Laboratory data indicate that dissolution time of PFAS solids cause statistically significant deviations between nominal and measured concentrations. Mixing

Passive sampling has emerged as a promising tool to assess the presence of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOC) in water, sediment and biota, such as polychlorinated dibenzo‐p‐dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Previous work evaluated the ability of passive samplers to predict bioavailability of sedimentary HOCs mostly in the laboratory, often for marine organisms. The

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from industrial use, discharged via the land application of sewage sludge, are interacting with soil biota, including earthworms. In affected organisms, excessive production of reactive oxygen species can result in lipid peroxidation, shifting the balance between oxidants and antioxidants to cause oxidative stress. We determined selected lower tier biomarkers such as antioxidant

In an effort to determine contaminant presence, concentrations, and movement from a low‐level radioactive waste (LLRW) burial disposal site to ecosystems in the surrounding area, a study was developed to assess concentrations of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and tritium. To complete this assessment small mammals, vegetation, soil, and insect samples

Low‐Density polyethylene (PE) sheets are used as passive samplers for aquatic environmental monitoring to measure the freely dissolved concentration (Cfree) of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs). Freely dissolved HOCs in water will partition into the PE until a thermodynamic equilibrium is achieved; that is, the HOC's activity in the passive sampler is the same as its activity in the surrounding

Herbicides have been shown to reduce flower production and to delay flowering with results varying among herbicides and tested plant species. Here, we investigated the effects of herbicides on flowering in an extensive greenhouse study conducted in Canada and Denmark. The effects of low doses of five different herbicides (bromoxynil, ioxynil + bromoxynil, metsulfuron‐methyl, clopyralid, and glyphosate)

Odontocetes are considered ideal sentinel species to monitor environmental trace element concentrations. While frozen tissues are preferable for trace element analysis, often formalin‐fixed tissues are the only samples available; however, it is uncertain if formalin fixation alters tissue trace element concentrations. To explore whether formalin‐fixed tissues could be utilized for toxicology studies

Studies of poly‐ and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) toxicity on amphibians, especially post metamorphosis, are limited. We examined effects of dermal PFAS exposure (30 d) on survival and growth of juvenile American toads (Anaxyrus americanus), eastern tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) and northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens). Exposures included perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane

Phthalate (PAE) derivatives with low oestrogenic activity, high infrared spectrum signals, high Raman characteristic vibration spectrum, high fluorescence intensity and high ultraviolet sensitivity were selected as precursors from our previous works, so that the changes in their toxicity and oestrogenic activity during biological metabolism, ozone oxidation, photocatalytic degradation, photodegradation

Fertilizers containing phosphate (PO4 3- ) are commonly used within the agricultural industry and are known to increase the bioavailability and mobility of metalloids like arsenic (As). This may increase plant uptake of As and hence pose a risk to human health. Arsenic and antimony (Sb) often co-occur in contaminated soils, however, little is known about the interactions between As and Sb with PO4

During clarification processes of raw water a vast amount of by‐product known as drinking water treatment residuals (WTRs) are produced, being principally composed of hydroxides of the Al or Fe salts added during water treatment plus the impurities they remove. Aluminium‐based (Al‐WTR) and iron‐based (Fe‐WTR) materials were applied at 10% w/w to degraded, bare (un‐vegetated) soils from a restored coal

The environmental risk assessment of rare earth elements (REE) requires data on their potential toxicity. In this study, the toxicity of lanthanum (La) and cerium (Ce) was studied in relation to metal speciation in solution. For both La and Ce, the use of organic ligands demonstrated that the calculated free ion concentration was a good indicator of toxicity. Whether in the absence or presence of organic

Sediment contamination in freshwater streams in urban areas is a recognized and growing concern. As a part of a comprehensive regional stream-quality assessment, streambed sediment was sampled from streams spanning a gradient of urban intensity in the Piedmont ecoregion of the southeastern United States. We evaluated relations between a broad suite of sediment contaminants (metals, current use pesticides

A bleached kraft pulp mill discharging effluent to the Mattagami River in northern Ontario, Canada, closed after almost 90 years of operation. During its operation, effluent from the mill influenced biota in the downstream areas. To assess shifts in the reliance of biota from mill-derived nutrients, the isotopic composition (δ13 C and δ15 N) of white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) muscle and whole

Elevated nitrate (NO3 ) and sulfate (SO4 ) in surface water are a global concern and studies are needed to generate toxicity data to develop environmental guideline values for NO3 and SO4 . The present study was designed to fill existing gaps in toxicity databases by determining the acute and/or chronic toxicity of NO3 (tested as NaNO3 ) to a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea), a midge (Chironomus

We describe a simple single-pot method for collection and preparation of natural water for microplastic (MP) analyses. The method prepares samples in the same vessel (Mason jars) that they are collected in right up until the MPs are transferred onto filters or spectroscopic windows for analyses. The method minimized contamination, degradation, and losses, while increasing recoveries and throughput

The management of pesticides to parotect water quality remains a significant global challenge. Historically, despite regulatory frameworks intended to prevent, minimize, and manage off-site movement of pesticides, multiple generations of pesticide active ingredients have created a seemingly unending cycle of pesticide water pollution in both agricultural and urban watersheds. In California, the most

A simplified ecosystem model, A-TERAM (the Aquatic Tri-trophic Ecological Risk Assessment Model), for the ecological risk assessment of chemicals is presented. A-TERAM comprises a linear grazer food chain with three trophic levels (the algae- Daphnia-fish system). The model simulates the seasonal patterns of abundance at each level observed in the field, and it translates the direct toxic effects of

Widespread use of pesticides has resulted in the accumulation of pesticide residues in the environment due to their persistence and stability. To reduce potential exposures, we have developed broad-acting clay-based sorbents that can be included in the diet as enterosorbents to reduce the bioavailability and toxicity of chemicals. In the present study, parent and acid-processed calcium montmorillonite

Lack of consistent findings in different experimental settings remains a major challenge in toxicogenomics. The present study investigated whether consistency between findings of different microarray experiments can be improved when the analysis is based on a common reference frame ("toxicogenomic universe"), which can be generated using the machine learning algorithm of the self-organizing map (SOM)

We compared the toxicity of the neonicotinoids imidacloprid, thiacloprid, thiamethoxam, acetamiprid, and clothianidin in terms of the survival and reproduction of 2 species of soil invertebrates, Folsomia candida and Eisenia andrei. Tests were performed using LUFA 2.2 natural soil, following standard protocols aimed at answering 2 questions: 1) Is there a difference in the toxicity between pure compound

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is an increasingly important environmental pollutant that is pervasive in the environment. A number of studies have focused on the toxicological effects of PFOS on model fish species (zebrafish and medaka), but little is known about the impact of PFOS on commercially important marine fish. Thus, the present study examined transcriptome responses to PFOS exposure in

Acute (96-h) toxicities of 5 systemic insecticides (chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole, flupyradifurone, flubendiamide, and sulfoxaflor) were tested on larval Chironomus dilutus and compared with the neonicotinoid imidacloprid. Three insecticides were less acutely toxic than imidacloprid (2.5-25 times lower). However, chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole were 1.5 to 1.8 times more toxic to C

The US Army is replacing traditional munitions with insensitive munitions resistant to accidental detonation. Although the parent insensitive munition compound nitroguanidine (NQ) is generally not acutely toxic at concentrations >1000 mg/L in aquatic exposures, products formed by intensive ultraviolet (UV) degradation resulted in multiple-order of magnitude increases in toxicity. A methylated congener