Four selected high molecular weight heterocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Ecotoxicological hazard assessment, environmental relevance and regulatory needs under REACH.

Little is known about the ecotoxicity of heterocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NSO-HETs) to aquatic organisms. In the environment, NSO-HETs have been shown to occur in a strong association with their unsubstituted carbocyclic analogues, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), for which much more information is available. The present study addressed this issue by investigating the toxicity of four selected NSO-HETs in green algae (Desmodesmus subspicatus), daphnids (Daphnia magna) and fish embryos (Danio rerio). The four high molecular weight NSO-HETs dibenz[a,j]acridine (DBA), 7H-dibenzo[c,g]carbazole (DBC), benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene (BNT) and benzo[b]naphtho[1,2-d]furan (BNF) were selected, based on the results of a previous research project, indicating a lack of toxicity data and a high potential for persistence and bioaccumulation. The solubilities of the NSO-HETs in the test media were determined and turned out to be comparatively low (2.7-317 µg/L) increasing in the following order: DBA < BNT « DBC « BNF. Exposure concentrations during the toxicity tests were quantified with GC-MS and decreased strongly possibly due to sorption or metabolising during the test periods (48-96 h). Therefore, the estimated effect concentrations were related to the mean measured concentrations, as endpoints related to nominal concentrations would have underestimated the toxicity many times over. Within the range of the substance solubilities, BNF affected all test organisms with fish embryos being the most sensitive (fish: EC50 6.7 µg/L, algae: EC10 17.8 µg/L, daphnids: EC50 55.8 µg/L). DBC affected daphnids (EC50 2.5 µg/L,) and algae (EC10 3.1 µg/L), but not fish embryos. The lowest toxicity endpoint was observed for BNT affecting only algae (NOEC 0.556 µg/L) and neither daphnids nor fish embryos. DBA did not show any effects on the tested organisms in the range of the water solubility. However, we would expect effects in long-term toxicity studies to fish and aquatic invertebrates for all substances at lower concentrations, which needs further investigation. All four NSO-HETs were identified in mussels (Mytilus edulis) from the German coasts, in green kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) and in freshwater harbor sediment in concentrations between 0.07 and 2 µg/kg, highlighting their relevance as environmental contaminants. There is a need to regulate the four NSO-HETs within the REACH regulation due to their intrinsic properties and their environmental relevance. However, acquisition of additional experimental data appears to be pivotal for a regulation under REACH.