No abstract

The lysosomal membrane stability (LMS) of hemocytes in wild mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) as a biomarker of cellular stress for chemical pollution was tested by neutral red retention time (NRRT) assays. To assess the environmental contamination in the study area, seawater quality and pollutant bioaccumulation throughout the soft tissue of mussels were investigated. The samples were collected in July 2022 at four sites on the Romanian Black Sea coast considered to be differently affected by contamination. To support the suitability of LMS as a biomarker of contaminant-induced stress, the contaminant body burdens of the mussels were compared with the NRRT values. The results showed a significantly reduced NRRT in all investigated locations, particularly in port areas (mean retention time between 11 and 14 min). The elevated bioaccumulation of organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and low NRRTs were observed at the most contaminated sites (i.e., ports). The low lysosomal stability reflected stress and damage in the hemocytes of mussels and could be related to the body burdens of contaminants. LMS is an effective indicator of health status in mussels and could be considered a sensitive biomarker of cellular stress induced by contaminant exposure.

The present study describes the analysis of nine organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) occurrence in twenty beer samples commercially marketed and widely consumed in Romania. Levels of these compounds were determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC-ECD). The results indicated that 20% of the examined samples were contaminated with one OCP residues, while 45% of samples have presented multiple pesticides. Among individual compounds, γ-HCH (Lindane) and p,p, DDE were the main contributors to the total OCP residues, suggesting a long-time persistence of these pesticides in soil, recent usage or uncontrolled penetration from some sources. The contamination frequency with the different OCPs of analysed samples was in the following order: DDTs]Driens]Heptachlor]Lindane]HCB. The average lifetime of a daily dose (LADD) for the total compounds under study, were below the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for individual compounds, ranging between 1.41E-07 and 3.13E-06 mg kg bw-1d-1. Also, hazard quotient were presented with very low values (HQ[1), suggesting that, in the analysed samples, the OCP residues represent no threat to human health.