Developmental Toxicity Assessment of a Chlorothalonil‑Based Fungicide in a Native Amphibian Species

ACQUARONI, MARÍA DE LAS MERCEDES; ACQUARONI, MARÍA DE LAS MERCEDES; SVARTZ, GABRIELA; SVARTZ, GABRIELA; CRISTINA SILVIA PEREZ COLL; CRISTINA SILVIA PEREZ COLL

ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2020

0090-4341

The toxicity of a commercial formulation of the fungicide chlorothalonil in sensitive stages of the native amphibian Rhinellaarenarum (Ra) was assessed by means continuous treatments from embryo and larval development and 24-h pulse exposuresevaluating acute and chronic lethal and sublethal efects and stage-dependent sensitivity. A risk assessment of chlorothalonilin Ra development also was performed. The results of continuous exposure in embryos showed a signifcant toxicity increasewith exposure time, whereas sensitivity of larvae remained relatively constant through time (24 and 504-h LC50=0.86 and0.04 mg L−1, and 0.37 and 0.34 mg L−1 for embryos and larvae respectively). Embryos exhibited several sublethal efects,such as delayed development, tail/axial fexures, edemas, and behavioral alterations. The 96-h NOEC values for lethal andsublethal efects were 0.025 and 0.01 mg L−1 respectively, so the 96-h Teratogenic Index was 2.5, which indicates the severeteratogenic potential of the fungicide. For 24-h pulse exposure experiments, S.21 and S.23 were the most sensitive stagesfor lethality (504-h NOEC=0.05 mg L−1), whereas earlier stages exhibited severe morphological alterations. The resultsobtained in this study and the ecological risk evaluation highlight the severe toxicity of chlorothalonil threatening the continuity of Ra populations.