ARE AOPs THE FUTURE OF ECOTOXICOLOGY? AOPs (Adverse Outcome Pathways) were introduced in the field of ecotoxicology due to the need of replacement of the classic system for assessing adverse results (considering only the mortality of organisms exposed to certain substances or mixtures) to a predictive system based on the measurement of biological events occurring primarily at a molecular level and having clear biological relationships with potential adverse effects on more complex biological systems. AOPs are useful for organizing and integrating information related to the toxic potential of chemical substances alone or in mixtures, in exposed organisms, supporting the prediction and understanding of the effects induced by stressors and the development of action plans in order to reduce the exposure of organisms to acceptable levels. This tool is already gaining strength and being used worldwide by scientists, and in the future it may be the basis for the regulation of chemical substances and their mixtures. This article presents the basic principles related to the development and use of an AOP, in a simple and objective way, in addition to presenting a practical example of this tool, which can be considered the future of ecotoxicology.

Esta revisão apresenta valores máximos permitidos para substâncias químicas, em águas destinadas a dessedentação de animais adotados por diferentes países/estados e fornece informações sobre como esses valores devem ser estabelecidos. Os critérios de qualidade para o uso dessa água foram pesquisados nas páginas eletrônicas dos órgãos responsáveis de cada país ou estado. Os padrões brasileiros adotados pelas Resoluções 357 e 396 do Conselho Nacional do Meio Ambiente foram comparados aos valores de outros países. Os resultados mostram que os valores máximos permitidos pela legislação brasileira de múltiplos usos para determinadas substâncias não são adequados para dessedentação de animais. Existe grande variação em relação às substâncias legisladas e os valores máximos permitidos para cada substância entre os países/estados o que confirma a necessidade de que os critérios de qualidade de água para dessedentação de animais sejam específicos para cada país, contemplando a utilização e importância das substâncias e os cenários de exposição de cada um. Várias substâncias não possuem valores máximos estabelecidos para o uso da água na dessedentação de animais indicando a necessidade de aprimoramento da regulamentação vigente.

This review presents water quality criteria for livestock adopted by different countries/states and discusses how those limit values are established. The method used was a literature data survey, available in the electronic pages of regulatory agencies of different countries or states. Livestock water quality criteria for chemical substances adopted by different countries/states, including Brazil (CONAMA 357 e 396), were compared. Information about the main factors can influence the derivation of livestock water quality criteria were highlighted. The analysis of the Brazilian surface water regulation, which is based on multiple uses, indicated that some standards are not appropriate for livestock use. Great variation was observed for the choice of priority substances and the water quality criteria among the different countries/states were analyzed, confirming the need for the establishment of criteria for each country, considering the use and importance of substances and specific exposure scenarios. From the compiled date it is possible to observe that water criteria for livestock have not been yet established for several chemicals, suggesting that more studies are needed in Brazil.

This work is a literature review of PBTAs, the phenylbenzotriazoles generated from the reduction and chlorination of azo dyes. The PBTAs and the non- chlorinated PBTAs were isolated for the first time from river blue rayon organic extracts that showed high mutagenic activity in the Salmonella/microsome genotoxicity assay. To date, 8 PBTAs have been identified and beside their mutagenic activity in bacteria they cause genotoxic effects in fish and mammalian cell cultures. Due to the large number of textile dyeing facilities in Brazil, studies to determine them in the aquatic environment seem to be relevant.

OBJETIVO: Desenvolver estratégia para o monitoramento passivo das águas do estuário de Santos quanto à presença de atividade genotóxica e de hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos. MÉTODOS: Estudo realizado no estuário de Santos, Estado de São Paulo, em 2002. Foram selecionados e avaliados dois pontos de amostragem com diferentes graus de contaminação em duas campanhas de amostragem, utilizando a técnica de blue rayon in situ, análises químicas e o ensaio de Salmonella/microssoma com as linhagens bacterianas sensíveis a diferentes classes de compostos. Os extratos foram submetidos ao teste de Salmonella/microssoma em microssuspensão com as linhagens TA98, TA100, YG1041 e YG1042 na presença e ausência de ativação metabólica, e a análises químicas. RESULTADOS: O ponto 1, que apresentou sedimento com altas concentrações de hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos, mostrou maior freqüência de resultados positivos para o ensaio Samonella/microssoma e maiores concentrações de hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos em ambas as campanhas em comparação com o ponto 2, menos contaminado. A linhagem que se mostrou mais sensível foi a YG1041, que permitiu comparações entre locais com diferentes graus de contaminação. CONCLUSÕES: A combinação da técnica de blue rayon in situ com o ensaio Salmonella/microsoma com a linhagem YG1041 e as análises químicas se mostraram eficientes. Foi possível recuperar os compostos genotóxicos, e os hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos analisados, parecendo ser uma estratégia adequada para o monitoramento da qualidade das águas do estuário de Santos.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a strategy for water quality monitoring for the presence of genotoxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. METHODS: A study was carried out in Santos estuary, Southern Brazil, in 2002. Two sampling sites with different concentration levels were selected and evaluated in different samplings using blue rayon hanging technique, chemical analyses, and Salmonella/microsome assay with bacterial strains sensitive to different compounds. The extracts were tested using the Salmonella/microsome assay in microsuspension with the strains TA98, TA100, YG1041, and YG1042 in the absence and presence of metabolic activation and through chemical analyses. RESULTS: Site 1, which had high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in its sediment, showed more often positive results in the Salmonella/microsome assay as well as higher polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations in both samplings compared to site 2, which was less contaminated. YG1041 strain showed to be the most sensitive allowing for comparisons between the sites with different levels of contamination. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of the blue rayon hanging technique with the Salmonella/microsome assay using YG1041 strain and chemical analyses were effective in recovering genotoxins as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons tested in this study. Therefore this strategy seems to be adequate for water quality monitoring in Santos estuary.

OBJETIVO: Desenvolver estratégia para o monitoramento passivo das águas do estuário de Santos quanto à presença de atividade genotóxica e de hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos. MÉTODOS: Estudo realizado no estuário de Santos, Estado de São Paulo, em 2002. Foram selecionados e avaliados dois pontos de amostragem com diferentes graus de contaminação em duas campanhas de amostragem, utilizando a técnica de blue rayon in situ, análises químicas e o ensaio de Salmonella/microssoma com as linhagens bacterianas sensíveis a diferentes classes de compostos. Os extratos foram submetidos ao teste de Salmonella/microssoma em microssuspensão com as linhagens TA98, TA100, YG1041 e YG1042 na presença e ausência de ativação metabólica, e a análises químicas. RESULTADOS: O ponto 1, que apresentou sedimento com altas concentrações de hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos, mostrou maior freqüência de resultados positivos para o ensaio Samonella/microssoma e maiores concentrações de hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos em ambas as campanhas em comparação com o ponto 2, menos contaminado. A linhagem que se mostrou mais sensível foi a YG1041, que permitiu comparações entre locais com diferentes graus de contaminação. CONCLUSÕES: A combinação da técnica de blue rayon in situ com o ensaio Salmonella/microsoma com a linhagem YG1041 e as análises químicas se mostraram eficientes. Foi possível recuperar os compostos genotóxicos, e os hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos analisados, parecendo ser uma estratégia adequada para o monitoramento da qualidade das águas do estuário de Santos.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a strategy for water quality monitoring for the presence of genotoxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. METHODS: A study was carried out in Santos estuary, Southern Brazil, in 2002. Two sampling sites with different concentration levels were selected and evaluated in different samplings using blue rayon hanging technique, chemical analyses, and Salmonella/microsome assay with bacterial strains sensitive to different compounds. The extracts were tested using the Salmonella/microsome assay in microsuspension with the strains TA98, TA100, YG1041, and YG1042 in the absence and presence of metabolic activation and through chemical analyses. RESULTS: Site 1, which had high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in its sediment, showed more often positive results in the Salmonella/microsome assay as well as higher polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations in both samplings compared to site 2, which was less contaminated. YG1041 strain showed to be the most sensitive allowing for comparisons between the sites with different levels of contamination. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of the blue rayon hanging technique with the Salmonella/microsome assay using YG1041 strain and chemical analyses were effective in recovering genotoxins as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons tested in this study. Therefore this strategy seems to be adequate for water quality monitoring in Santos estuary.

This is a review about the use of Blue rayon in the extraction and concentration of environmental contaminants in the aquatic environment. Blue rayon is an adsorbent composed of fibers covalently linked with copper phthalocyanine trisulphonate that has the ability to selectively adsorb polycyclic compounds. Blue rayon can be used in situ, in columns or in flasks. This method showed to be efficient in the extraction of important classes of environmental contaminants like the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), aromatic amines and phenylbenzotriazoles (PBTAs) and can be an important tool in monitoring studies for the evaluation of water quality.