Effects of single and combined exposures to benzo(a)pyrene and 3,3′4,4′5-pentachlorobiphenyl on EROD activity and development in Fundulus heteroclitus

The goal of this study was to assess the interactive effects of a polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), and a co-planar halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon (HAH), 3,3′4,4′5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 126) on ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity and occurrence of deformities in Fundulus heteroclitus. While each compound administered alone elicited dose-dependent increases in EROD activity, the combined treatment of these two compounds generally did not elicit an additive EROD response. There was a significant correlation between deformity occurrence and EROD induction in embryos dosed with PCB alone but not for embryos dosed with BaP alone, or a combination of BaP and PCB 126.