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Subacute Toxicity Assessment of Water Disinfection Byproducts on Zebrafish

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Pathology & Oncology Research

Abstract

Disinfection of raw water is essential to the production of drinking water. However, by-products of disinfection may exert toxic effects. The potential toxic effects of two of these compounds, 4-ethylbenzaldehyde (EBA) and 2,4-difluoroaniline (DFA) were investigated using the zebrafish (Danio rerio) model. The two compounds, dissolved, were introduced in duplicate aquariums containing zebrafish in two different concentrations based on LC50 values. The aquarium water containing EBA or DFA was changed every 96 h throughout the 3 months of treatment. Behavior of the fish in each replicate was inspected twice daily. In course of treatment with both concentrations, fish exposed to DFA displayed behavior associated with visible anxiety, while EBA treated were lethargic and did not evade capture. Application of both concentrations of each component into the aquarium water resulted in dystrophic lesions in the liver, kidney and skin of the fish while preneoplastic lesions and tumors were not observed.

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Abbreviations

EBA:

4-ethylbenzaldehyde

DFA:

2,4-difluoroaniline

DBP:

Disinfection byproduct

ASV:

Air saturation volume

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Center of Excellence in Environmental Industry at Szent István University (RET-12/2005), the Baross Program (BAROSS-HALDEC 09), by the Hungarian National Research Fund (OTKA NNF 78834), and by the National Office for Research and Technology of Hungary.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University Budapest, Üllői út 26, 1085, Budapest, Hungary

    Gergely Rácz & Béla Szende

  2. Department of Fish Culture, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Szent István University, Gödöllő, Hungary

    Zsolt Csenki, Róbert Kovács, Árpád Hegyi & Béla Urbányi

  3. Department of Pathology and Forensic Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Szent István University, 1078, Budapest, Hungary

    Ferenc Baska

  4. Institute of Hygiene, Semmelweis University Budapest, Nagyvárad tér 4, 1089, Budapest, Hungary

    László Sujbert

  5. 3D HISTECH Kft, Konkoly-Thege út 29-33, 1121, Budapest, Hungary

    Ivett Zsákovics & Renáta Kis

  6. Department of Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Ryan Gustafson

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  1. Gergely Rácz
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  2. Zsolt Csenki
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  6. László Sujbert
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  7. Ivett Zsákovics
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  8. Renáta Kis
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  9. Ryan Gustafson
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  10. Béla Urbányi
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  11. Béla Szende
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Correspondence to Béla Szende.

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Rácz, G., Csenki, Z., Kovács, R. et al. Subacute Toxicity Assessment of Water Disinfection Byproducts on Zebrafish. Pathol. Oncol. Res. 18, 579–584 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-011-9479-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-011-9479-3

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