Bioactivity of POPs and their effects in mosquitofish in Sydney Olympic Park, Australia

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 407; no. 12; pp. 3721 - 3730
• Main Authors: Rawson, Christopher A., Tremblay, Louis A., Warne, Michael St. J., Ying, Guang-guo, Kookana, Rai, Laginestra, Edwina, Chapman, John C., Lim, Richard P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 01.06.2009; [Amsterdam; New York]: Elsevier Science; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agnatha. Pisces; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Biodegradation, Environmental - drug effects; Biological and medical sciences; Culicidae; Cyprinodontiformes - metabolism; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 - analysis; DDT; Dioxin; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on vertebrates; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Restoration and Remediation; EROD; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gambusia holbrooki; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; H4IIE; New South Wales; PAH; PCB; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - analysis; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon - analysis; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon - metabolism; Remediated land; Rivers - chemistry; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Wetlands; Australia; Oceania; Australia, New South Wales, Sydney; EROD; DDT; Dioxin; PAH; H4IIE; Remediated land; PCB; Dioxin derivatives; Enzyme; Gambusia holbrooki; Polychlorobiphenyls; Polycyclic aromatic compound; Biological activity; Persistent organic pollutant; Aquatic environment; Vertebrata; Organochlorine compounds; Pisces; Chlorine Organic compounds; Chlorocarbon; Biological effect; Wetland; Organic compounds
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2009.02.015

The site of the 2000 Olympic Games (Sydney Olympic Park (SOP), Sydney, Australia) was contaminated by persistent organic pollutants (POPs) prior to remediation in the 1990s. This study investigates the bioactivity of POPs in the sediment and water of wetlands across SOP by in vitro 2,3,7,8 -TCDD equivalence (TCDDeq) measurement (H4IIE cell line bioassay). Further, it examines whether disturbance of these sediments is likely to mobilise ligands for this receptor into the water column. Exposure to aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligands was measured in vivo using hepatic cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) induction (EROD) in the mosquitofish ( Gambusia holbrooki). Aqueous TCDDeq ranged from 0.013 to 0.057 pM in SOP wetlands which was significantly ( p < 0.05) less that in urban reference sites. These concentrations were not correlated to physical or chemical characteristics of the wetlands. In the sediments, TCDDeq ranged from 0.0016 to 7.06 µg/kg and these were not significantly ( p ≥ 0.05) different to that measured in urban reference sites. Simulated disturbance of small quantities of sediment in water samples significantly ( p < 0.05) increased the levels of TCDDeq measured in the water. Sediment TCDDeq was correlated to sediment ΣPAH concentration in 2006 and sediment ΣPCB, ΣDDT concentrations and fine sediment grain size in 2005. While fish at one SOP wetland had hepatic EROD activity elevated above the estimated basal level for this species, these were at the lower end of the range measured in urban impacted, non-remediated wetlands. EROD activity was positively correlated with both the sediment ΣPCB load and aqueous TCDDeq. Increased catchment size was correlated with increased EROD activity suggesting an even spread of POPs throughout the residential areas of the Sydney metropolitan area. The concentration of bioactive POPs in the wetlands of SOP is therefore low relative to urban reference sites demonstrating the ongoing success of the remediation program.