The effect of common pharmaceutical compounds (Ibuprofen & Paracetamol) on Gammarus pulex, a freshwater invertebrate

Abstract

Pollution in rivers is a problem on the agenda in many countries, specifically byproducts derived from the pharmaceutical industry are detected globally in surface waters; Unfortunately the ecological impacts of these biologically active and ubiquitous chemicals are largely unknown; For this purpose, techniques such as biomonitoring through the use of benthic macroinvertebrates are used in many cases to evaluate water quality; The truth is that most methods use measurements at the community level, and the use of responses from unique species has been limited despite its potential benefits. In this work, toxicity tests were developed for a single species, in which the symptomatology was evaluated by exposure to two different and common drugs (Paracetamol and Ibuprofen) on the freshwater amphipod Gammarus pulex. The trial was implemented in a non-contaminated reference site to quantify the effects at different concentrations in terms of doses of the relevant drugs and to elucidate changes in behaviour and mortality rates. The ability of the assay to detect the sensitivity of this organism was evaluated by using different concentrations of the compound diluted in the medium, with controlled replicates; It is also observed the ecological relevance that the presence of this type of derivative active principles would have, once they are exposed in the environment due to their accidental release from the industry itself; Gammarus pulex is therefore an important detritivore in stream communities, there was a correlation between exposure to paracetamol which had severe effects with concentrations greater than 16 mg/L, after 24 hours. And a strong negative correlation with severe effects after long exposure from ibuprofen even at low doses; Ibuprofen did not significantly affect any of the measured parameters of Gammarus spp. The G. pulex toxicity test is a short-term sublethal biomonitor of water quality that is indicative of responses at the community and ecosystem levels that occur over longer periods of time; It is robust, receptive and relevant.