Toxicity of tire rubber-derived pollutants 6PPD-quinone and 4-tert-octylphenol on marine plankton
Lisseth Calle, Jessy Le Du-Carrée, Ico Martínez, Samira Sarih, Daniel Montero, May Gómez, Rodrigo Almeda
Abstract
The impacts of tire wear particles and their associated chemicals on the aquatic systems are a major environmental concern. In this study, we investigated the acute toxicity of two pollutants derived from tire rubber, 6PPD-quinone and 4-tert-octylphenol, on marine plankton. Specifically, we determined the acute effects of these pollutants on various organisms within the plankton food web: the microalgae Rhodomonas salina , the adult copepod Acartia tonsa , and the early life stages of the echinoderms Arbacia lixula and Paracentrotus lividus and the fish Sparus aurata . Exposure to 6PPD-quinone did not affect the microalgae growth, copepod survival, or fish embryo viability after 48 h of exposure at concentrations up to 1000 µgL -1 . However, 6PPD-quinone significantly inhibited the growth of early developmental stages of both echinoderm species, with median effective concentrations of 7 and 8 µgL -1 . Conversely, 4-tert-octylphenol was toxic to all studied organisms, with median lethal and effective concentrations ranging from 21 to 79 µgL -1 depending on the species and endpoints. The most sensitive planktonic organisms to 4-tert-octylphenol were echinoderm embryos and copepods, which exhibited negative effects at concentrations as low as 1 and 25 µgL -1 , respectively. Our results demonstrate that acute exposure to 6PPD-quinone and 4-tert-octylphenol can cause harmful effects on key planktonic organisms at environmentally relevant concentrations. Overall, our findings highlight the need for develop ecologically safer tire rubber additives and reduce traffic-related tire particle emissions to mitigate their entry and potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems. • The aquatic toxicity of 6PPD-quinone and 4-tert-octylphenol was investigated. • 6PPD-quinone exhibited species-specific toxicity, most harmful to echinoderm embryos. • 4-tert-OP exhibits broad-spectrum toxicity to marine plankton. • Both pollutants were toxic at environmentally relevant concentrations. • Urgent need for ecologically safer rubber additives and reduced tire particle pollution.