Effect of Ethanol and Octocrylene on the Cell Growth and Chlorophyll-a Levels of Cyclotella meneghiniana

Overview

This study aimed to determine whether exposure to environmentally relevant levels of octocrylene, a common sunscreen chemical, harms the overall health of the freshwater diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana, measured by decreased cell density and chlorophyll-a levels. Axenic cultures of C. meneghiniana were exposed to three concentrations of non-water-soluble octocrylene (0.03, 0.3, and 3 µg/L) dissolved in ethanol over six days. To ensure that observed effects were due to octocrylene and not ethanol, two control cultures were included: C-Blank with no chemical additions and C-Ethanol with the highest concentration of ethanol exposure used in the 3 µg/Lcondition. Cell densities and chlorophyll-a levels were measured using a Palmer-Maloney cell and a Turner fluorometer before and after the six-day exposure. Compared to the C-Blank control, the cell density and chlorophyll-a levels in the C-Ethanol condition were significantly lower (t-test, p=0.01 and p=0.0002, respectively). The C-Ethanol measurements were statistically similar to those in the 3 µg/Lgroup (p = NS). These data demonstrate that exposure to the ethanol solvent significantly reduced cell densities and chlorophyll-a levels in C. meneghiniana. Therefore, the independent effect of octocrylene on the cell density and chlorophyll-a levels could not be discerned in this study.

Competition history

• JSHS 2022 Category not listed

Resources

• National JSHS abstract book ↗

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