Acute toxicity and toxicokinetics of 4‐heptylphenol in juvenile atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua L.)

• Published in: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
• Main Authors: Tollefsen, Knut‐Erik, Ingebrigtsen, Kristian, Olsen, Anders Johny, Zachariassen, Karl Erik, Johnsen, Ståle
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1998
• Subjects: atlantic cod; Gadus morhua
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620170431; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fetc.5620170431; https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/etc.5620170431

Abstract Heptylphenol has been detected in produced water from various oil production platforms in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea and may be of environmental concern due to hydrophobic properties and slow biodegradation in the marine environment. The n ‐octanol/water partition coefficient of 4‐heptylphenol (4‐HP) was estimated by a high‐performance liquid chromatographic correlation analysis. Acute toxicity and toxicokinetics of 4‐HP in juvenile Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua L.) were investigated in flow‐through exposure systems using unlabeled and 14 C‐labeled 4‐HP, respectively. The results show that 4‐HP was moderately hydrophobic (log K ow = 4.5) and toxic to juvenile cod (96 h LC50 = 2.9 μmol/L). The toxicokinetics of 4‐HP was calculated using a one‐compartment first‐order kinetic (1CFOK) model ( k 1 = 29.94 ± 1.83, k 2 = 0.052 ± 0.011/h, t 95 ≈ 58 h and t 1/2 ≈ 13 h). The values obtained corresponded to a steady‐state and kinetic bioconcentration factor (BCF) of 555 and 578, respectively. The distribution pattern of 4‐HP (and/or metabolites) at steady state and after 96 h of recovery in uncontaminated seawater was dominated by the gastrointestinal system possibly owing to biotransformation and elimination through these organs. The results also revealed that neither 4‐HP nor possible metabolites bind to macromolecules or tissue structures in the fish.