Assessment of the Potential Ecological Risks Posed by Antifouling Booster Biocides to the Marine Ecosystem of the Gulf of Napoli (Italy)

Abstract

Risks posed by antifouling agents (irgarol 1051, diuron and dichlofluanid) to the aquatic environment of the Gulf of Napoli have been estimated. Seawater samples were collected monthly in selected harbours and marinas of this area during the boating season (March to November 2005) and off-season (January 2006). Concentration levels have been measured, and the resulting data used to perform a probabilistic ecological risk assessment independently on each biocide. Diuron exhibited higher concentration levels than irgarol 1051 in all the investigated locations: Dissolved concentrations of diuron ranged from <1 to 1,380 ng l −1 , whereas dissolved concentrations of irgarol 1051 ranged from <0.2 to 173 ng l −1 . Contamination appears to be largely dependent on the type and configuration of sampling sites and on the residence time and the density of boats. High levels of booster biocides were associated with marinas housing several recreational water craft and/or fishing boats, whilst commercial ports usually exhibited low concentrations. A seasonal influence was observed, with peak and lowest values found in early summer months and during winter, respectively. The comparison of the respective toxicity benchmarks, expressed as 10th percentiles, suggests that plant species are more sensitive to irgarol 1051 (297 ng l −1 ) than diuron (4,846 ng l −1 ). Based on these conservative effect thresholds for plants, ecological risk from the single investigated biocides can be judged to be low in the study area.

Study of genetic damage in the Japanese oyster induced by an environmentally-relevant exposure to diuron: Evidence of vertical transmission of DNA damage

“…(*) p < 0.05, (**) p < 0.01, (***) p < 0.001. Landa et al, 2009 Japan 0.03-3.05 Okamura et al, 2003 The Netherlands 0.09-1.13 Lamoree et al, 2002 United Kingdom 0.01-6.74 Thomas et al, 2001 France Bay of Vilaine 0.44-0.78 Caquet et al, 2013 Mediterranean coastal waters 0.33 Munaron et al, 2012 Bay of Veys 0.02-0.254 Buisson et al, 2008 Charente estuary 0.51 Munaron, 2004…”

An evaluation of antifouling booster biocides in Gran Canaria coastal waters using SPE-LC MS/MS

“…Lower levels of Diuron were recently measured along the California coast, with values ranging from 52 to 12 ng L À1 [32] and from 5 to 27 ng L À1 [24]. Diuron is used in other applications such as agriculture, and the marine coast levels may be the accumulated result of various different inputs [42].…”

Risk assessment of herbicides and booster biocides along estuarine continuums in the Bay of Vilaine area (Brittany, France)

“…In addition to pesticides, the extensive use of antifouling biocides on boat shells and other submerged surfaces was also responsible for the contamination of water and sediments by many toxic substances, especially booster biocides (e.g., Irgarol 1051; Hall and Gardinali 2004) used in combination with other compounds such as copper salts (Omae 2003). Some of these booster biocides have also been used as pesticides for agricultural use (e.g., diuron) leading to possible confusion in identifying contamination sources (Di Landa et al 2009). There is evidence that these compounds were highly toxic for freshwater and marine autotrophs (Okamura et al 2003), influencing key species like sea grasses (Chesworth et al 2004) and corals (Owen et al 2002).…”