The toxicity of organic fractions from aged oil sands process-affected water to aquatic species

Bauer, Anthony E.; Hewitt, L. Mark; Parrott, Joanne L.; Bartlett, Adrienne J.; Gillis, Patricia L.; Deeth, Lorna E.; Rudy, Martina D.; Vanderveen, Ruth; Brown, Lisa R.; Campbell, Sheena D.; Rodrigues, Maegan R.; Farwell, Andrea J.; Dixon, D. George; Frank, Richard A.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.107

Cited by 47 publications

(30 citation statements)

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“…Hyalella azteca has been extensively used in toxicity testing due to its widespread abundance in Canadian freshwater environments and its sensitivity to a variety of compounds in both water and sediment exposures (Borgmann and Munawar 1989; Schubauer‐Berigan et al 1993; Phipps et al 1995; Borgmann et al 2005; Bauer et al 2019). Potassium chloride is a commonly used reference toxicant to monitor the health of laboratory cultures (96‐h LC50 460 mg/L, 95% CI 390–550 mg/L; McNulty et al 1999), and Cd is one of the most toxic metal anions to H. azteca (7‐d LC50 4.41 µg Cd/L, 95% CI 3.47–5.60 µg/L; Borgmann et al 2005).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of its ubiquity and abundance, lower trophic level in aquatic food webs, and sensitivity to a wide variety of chemicals, H. azteca is an ideal organism for toxicity testing of environmental mixtures. Recent research has demonstrated that H. azteca is more sensitive to components of oil sands process-affected water than other commonly used invertebrate species such as V. fischeri, Ceriodaphnia dubia, and Daphnia magna (Bartlett et al 2017;Bauer et al 2019) Bartlett et al 2017). Therefore, development of a reduced-volume acute test for H. azteca would be beneficial for EDA research intent on using this organism.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hyalella azteca , a freshwater amphipod, is commonly found in many aquatic environments, such as temperate lakes, ponds, slow‐flowing streams, and rivers, within North America. This species is widely used in toxicity testing; it is sensitive to many contaminants, including metals and organics (Borgmann and Munawar 1989; Schubauer‐Berigan et al 1993; Phipps et al 1995; Borgmann et al 2005; Bauer et al 2019); and standard methods have been developed for its use in water‐only and sediment tests (US Environmental Protection Agency 2000; Environment and Climate Change Canada 2017). Studies have shown that H. azteca is actually a cryptic species complex, consisting of many genetically distinct species, and that laboratory cultures in Canada and the United States generally consist of 2 clades (Major et al 2013; Leung et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Development of a Reduced‐Volume Acute Lethality Toxicity Test for Hyalella azteca

Rodrigues

Frank

Schissler

et al. 2020

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Effects-directed analysis (EDA) is used to identify the principal toxic components within a complex mixture using iterative steps of chemical fractionation guided by bioassay results. Bioassay selection can be limited in EDA because of the volume requirements for many standardized test methods, and therefore, a reduced-volume acute toxicity test that also provides whole-organism responses is beneficial. To address this need, a static, 7-d, water-only, reduced-volume method (50 mL, 10 organisms) was developed for Hyalella azteca that substantially decreases the volume requirements of standardvolume acute test exposures (200-500 mL of test solution, 15-20 organisms) while maintaining water quality and meeting control survival criteria. Standard-and reduced-volume methods were compared by conducting concurrent toxicity tests with 2 inorganic toxicants (KCl and CdCl 2) and 2 organic mixtures of naphthenic acid fraction components (NAFCs) to evaluate test performance. There was no difference between methods when comparing the median lethal concentrations (LC50s) for KCl and both NAFC mixtures (p > 0.05). The LC50s for CdCl 2 were statistically different (p = 0.0002); however, this was not considered biologically meaningful because the difference between LC50s was <2-fold. In conclusion, the reduced-volume H. azteca test method generated results comparable to standard-volume test methods and is suitable for use in situations where limited testing material is available, such as when conducting EDA.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Development of a Reduced‐Volume Acute Lethality Toxicity Test for Hyalella azteca

Rodrigues

Frank

Schissler

et al. 2020

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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“…Oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) is a term used to denote those waters whose composition has been altered by bitumen extraction or material transport processes [1]. OSPW is produced in considerable quantities by the oil sands industry [2] and represents a complex mixture of chemical compounds and elements. Several substances in OSPW, including naphthenic acids (NAs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, and ions [3], may contribute to acute and chronic toxicity in aquatic environments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Appropriateness of Using Aquatic Snails as Bioindicators of Toxicity for Oil Sands Process-Affected Water

Chen¹,

Eaton²,

Davies³

2021

Pollutants

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Canada’s oil sands mining activity produces large volumes of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW), and there have been increasing concerns regarding the potential environmental impacts associated with this material. Developing an understanding of the toxicity of OSPW is critical to anticipating and mitigating the potential risks and effects of the oil sands industry on surrounding ecosystems. The composition of OSPW is highly variable and is influenced by a range of factors. While numerous research projects have been conducted on the toxicity of OSPW, much remains unknown about its impact on various biota. Freshwater gastropods (snails and slugs) are an ecologically crucial aquatic group, and members of this taxa have been used as bioindicators in a range of ecological settings. The literature suggests freshwater snails could be used as an indicator of toxicity in monitoring programs associated with oil sands development. This mini-review explores the use of snails as bioindicators in aquatic systems affected by oil sands development, focusing on how snails may respond to potential constituents of concern in systems exposed to OSPW.

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“…Most of the debate surrounding the toxicity of OSPW in the popular press, however, has centered on a specific sub-group of NAFCs known as classic naphthenic acids (NAs). These molecules have an empirical formula of C c H h O 2 and have been determined by environmental researchers to be the most toxic NAFCs [14][15][16]. Current environmental regulations forbid direct discharge into surrounding bodies of water [17,18], and the OSPW is stored on-site in large tailings ponds while it awaits detoxification.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transcriptome Analysis of Environmental Pseudomonas Isolates Reveals Mechanisms of Biodegradation of Naphthenic Acid Fraction Compounds (NAFCs) in Oil Sands Tailings

et al. 2021

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Naphthenic acid fraction compounds (NAFCs) are highly recalcitrant constituents of oil sands tailings. Although some microorganisms in the tailings can individually and synergistically metabolize NAFCs, the biochemical mechanisms that underpin these processes are hitherto unknown. To this end, we isolated two microorganisms, Pseudomonas protegens and Pseudomonas putida, from oils sands tailings and analyzed their transcriptomes to shed light on the metabolic processes employed by them to degrade and detoxify NAFCs. We identified 1048, 521 and 1434 genes that are upregulated in P. protegens, P. putida and a 1:1 co-culture of the strains, respectively. We subsequently enumerated the biochemical activities of enriched genes and gene products to reveal the identities of the enzymes that are associated with NAFC degradation. Separately, we analyzed the NAFCs that are degraded by the two pseudomonads and their 1:1 co-culture and determined the composition of the molecules using mass spectrometry. We then compared these molecular formulas to those of the cognate substrates of the enriched enzymes to chart the metabolic network and understand the mechanisms of degradation that are employed by the microbial cultures. Not only does the consortium behave differently than the pure cultures, but our analysis also revealed the mechanisms responsible for accelerated rate of degradation of NAFCs by the co-culture. Our findings provide new directions for engineering or evolving microorganisms and their consortia for degrading NAFCs more stably and aggressively.

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The toxicity of organic fractions from aged oil sands process-affected water to aquatic species

Cited by 47 publications

References 44 publications

Development of a Reduced‐Volume Acute Lethality Toxicity Test for Hyalella azteca

Development of a Reduced‐Volume Acute Lethality Toxicity Test for Hyalella azteca

The Appropriateness of Using Aquatic Snails as Bioindicators of Toxicity for Oil Sands Process-Affected Water

Transcriptome Analysis of Environmental Pseudomonas Isolates Reveals Mechanisms of Biodegradation of Naphthenic Acid Fraction Compounds (NAFCs) in Oil Sands Tailings

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