Thyroid endocrine dysregulation and erythrocyte DNA damage associated with PBDE exposure in juvenile crucian carp collected from an e‐waste dismantling site in Zhejiang Province, China

Abstract

In the present study, 40 juvenile crucian carp (Carassius auratus) were caught from a river close to an electronic waste (e-waste) site (exposed group) and another located 80 km away from the e-waste site (control group) in Zhejiang, China. Results indicated that muscle levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (median PBDEs, 235.98 ng/g wet wt; range, 7.70-703.31 ng/g wet wt), serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (median TSH, 2.32 µIU/ml; range, 2.05-2.72 µIU/ml) and erythrocyte DNA damage level (median Olive tail movement, 16.27 µm; range, 4.28-27.51 µm) were higher in the exposed group than those in the control group (0.56 ng/g wet wt, range, 0.34-1.24 ng/g wet wt, p < 0.01; 1.70 µIU/ml, range, 1.40-2.08 µIU/ ml, p < 0.01; 6.06 µm, range, 2.01-10.72 µm, p < 0.01, respectively). Thyroxine (T4) was significantly lower in the exposed group (8.97 µIU/ml) than in the control group (12.47 µIU/ml). In addition, thyroid endocrine disorder and erythrocyte DNA damage levels were significantly associated with polybrominated diphenyl ether exposure. Hence, PBDEs may affect wild fish populations in real ecosystems with thyroid endocrine disruption and DNA damage.

A Review of Grass Carp and Related Species Literature on Diet, Behavior, Toxicology, and Physiology Focused on Informing Development of Controls for Invasive Grass Carp Populations in North America

“…The acute oral toxicity of 1496 chemicals force-fed to the common carp are reported by [794]. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, a class of environmental contaminants, are thyroid endocrine disruptors and cause DNA damage in crucian carp [795]. Dibutyl phthalate, a plasticizer and environmental contaminant, induces stress responses in the liver, kidneys, and gills of grass carp at concentration of 10 to 1000 µg/L [796].…”

Hepatic ethoxyresorufin‐O‐deethylase induction in the common kingfisher from an electronic waste recycling site

“…Although the wildlife species that inhabit e-waste sites are exposed to a wide range of contaminants [7], little is known about their actual health impacts. To our knowledge, only a single study has reported adverse effects on organisms (fish) from an e-waste site; the fish showed thyroid endocrine disorder and erythrocyte DNA damage, both of which are significantly associated with PBDE exposure [8]. Wildlife that occupy high trophic levels, such as fish-eating birds, appear to be particularly susceptible to the bioaccumulation of e-waste-derived compounds and thus the potential effects of these chemicals [9,10].…”