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Combined Effects of PFOS and PFOA on Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Embryos

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Abstract

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are two kinds of emerging contaminants most studied in recent years. However, there is limited information about their combined toxicity to aquatic organisms. In the present study, the single and combined toxicity of PFOA and PFOS to zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos were investigated. PFOS was more toxic than PFOA for the single toxicity. In four mixtures, PFOS and PFOA showed complex interactive effects that changed from additive to synergistic effect, then to antagonistic effect, and at last turnover to synergic effect again, with increased molar ratios of PFOS. Neither the concentration-addition model nor the independent-action model could predict the combined effects when strong interactive effects existed. Although the interactive effects of PFOS and PFOA affected their combined toxicity, the trend of mixture toxicity still showed an increase with increasing molar ratios of PFOS in the mixture.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. DLMU 2012TD027), the Liaoning Biodiversity Protection Action Plan (Grant No. 2012-Inhyhbc-0004), and the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40976064). The authors thank Willie Peijnenburg for reviewing this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Linghai Road 1, Dalian, 116026, People’s Republic of China

    Guanghui Ding, Yihong Chen, Luyan Wang, Man Wang, Deqi Xiong & Yeqing Sun

  2. College of Environment and Chemical Technology, Dalian University, Dalian, 116622, People’s Republic of China

    Jing Zhang

  3. Institute of Environmental Systems Biology, Dalian Maritime University, Linghai Road 1, Dalian, 116026, People’s Republic of China

    Yeqing Sun

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  1. Guanghui Ding
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Correspondence to Yeqing Sun.

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Ding, G., Zhang, J., Chen, Y. et al. Combined Effects of PFOS and PFOA on Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Embryos. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 64, 668–675 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-012-9864-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-012-9864-2

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