Acute toxicity of widely used pharmaceuticals in aquatic species: Gambusia holbrooki, Artemia parthenogenetica and Tetraselmis chuii

Pharmaceuticals are continuously dispersed into the environment as a result of human and veterinary use, posing relevant environmental concerns. This study evaluated the acute toxicity of three therapeutic agents (diazepam, clofibrate, and clofibric acid) and a detergent (sodium dodecyl sulfate; SDS) in three aquatic species, namely the euryhaline fish Gambusia holbrooki, the hypersaline crustacean Artemia parthenogenetica, and the marine algae Tetraselmis chuii. The ranking of 50% lethal concentrations (LC50) for the two animal species and 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) for the algal species was, in decreasing order, clofibric acid>SDS>diazepam>clofibrate for G. holbrooki, clofibric acid>clofibrate>SDS>diazepam for A. parthenogenetica, and clofibric acid>clofibrate>SDS>diazepam for T. chuii. These differences show that the intrinsic nature of test organisms must be considered when evaluating the toxicity of these agents to aquatic ecosystems.