Ecotoxicology

dr Grażyna Obidoska
Department of Environmental Protection
& Dendrology
room 047
Tel 22 59 320 70
E-mail: grazyna_obidoska@sggw.edu.pl
 Ecotoxicology
Term coined in 1969 by Rene Truhaut
– a French toxicologist

It is a branch of toxicology focusing on

toxic effects in the constituents of ecosystems
caused by
anthropogenic environmental pollutants
(called in this case ecotoxins)

(Walker, 2002)
 Ecotoxins are also a risk factor for humans

• 90% of ecotoxins intaken

by humans are of food
origin
• Most ecotoxins are
bioaccumulated in plant
and animal tissues, and
their concentration
increases in a food chain
(biomagnification)
Humans are at the
highest trophic level
 Ecotoxicology covers following areas:

•Characteristics of main groups of toxic

substances, their sources, transportation in
the environmental components (air, water,
soil), degradation

•Intake , distribution and metabolic changes

in living organisms leading to biodegradation

•Toxic effects in organisms, consequences for

populations and ecosystems
(Walker, 2002; Kihlstrom, 1992)
 Ecotoxicology course

 Lectures: Basic environmental pollutants (ecotoxins);

characteristics, source, emission trends, toxic effects on plants
(the producers’ level), introduction into the food chain, risk for
consumers (humans)

 Exercises: Applied ecotoxicology- methods of toxicity and

genotoxicity assessment of chemicals or environmental samples
using plants as bioindicators
Lp. LECTURE SUBJECT Date
1 Ecotoxicology – Introduction. Groups of main pollutants and their effects 06XII
in the environment

2 Fate of ecotoxins in the environment and organism 13XII

Persistent Organic Pollutants POPs general features of the group

3 PCB, PCDD/ PCDF characteristics, sources, emission trends, plant intake, 20XII
phytotoxicity, introduction in the food chain, consumer risk

4 PAHs Policyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons characteristics, sources, emission 3I

trends, plant intake, phytotoxicity, consumer risk

5 Metals in the environment - effect on plants and consumer risk 10 I

6 Gaseous pollutants: Ozone – impact on vegetation 17 I

7 Gaseous pollutants: SO2, NOx, NH3 - impact on vegetation. 24 I

8 Test (lecture material) 1 II

1 February 2022 at 9. 30
Recommended books:
 Groups of main pollutants

and their adverse effects in the

environment
 Main environmental pollutants
Gases:
Sulphur dioxide (SO2),
Nitrogen oxides: (NO2 nitrogen dioxide, NO nitric oxide, N2O nitrous oxide)
Ammonia (NH3)
Tropospheric (ground level) ozone (O3)
Carbon oxides (CO, CO2)
Methane (CH4)
Freons (chlorofluorocarbons CFC) and F-gases (fluorocarbons)

Volatile organic compounds VOC ( eg. aldehydes, petroleum hydrocarbons…)

Semivolatile organic compounds – Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

Dioxines and furans (PCDD/F)
Polichlorinated biphenyls (PCB)
Organochlorine pesticices (eg. DDT)

Solid particles
Heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg) in airborn particulate matter (PM)
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in airborn PM

Phosphates, nitrates, pesticides (solid, liquid or gaseous)

 Natural sources of environmental pollutants

• Volcano eruptions
• Prairie fires
• Organic matter decomposition

Sulphur dioxide in the athmosfere

after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo
(Filipines) 21 Sept. 1991
 Main anthropogenic sources of pollution
• Energy and heat production

• Transportation
Combustion
of fossil fuels or
• Industry other organic matter
SO2, CO2, NO2,
Freons , F-gases … VOC
PCDD/F, PCB
• Waste incineration PM: metals , PAHs
and landfills

• Agriculture
N2O, NH3,
nitrates, phosphates, CH4
pesticides
Emission of pollutants in main sectors in Poland
Min. Śorodowiska 2009

PM10- Not biger than 10 μm

Energy and heat production Transportation Industry

Coal fired power Residential
plants Sources
(furnaces,
stoves, fire
places)
 Basic environmental effects of the main pollutants
1. Depletion of the ozone layer (freons)

2. The greenhouse effect (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide,

methane, freons, F-gases, ozone)

3. Classical (PM, NOx, SO2) and Photochemical smog

(VOCs, nitrogen dioxide, UV)

4. Acid precipitation (sulphur, nitrogen, carbon oxides)

5. Eutrophication of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems

(nitrates, phosphates, ammonia, nitrogen dioxide)

6. Toxic effects (Ozone, PAHs, PCDD/F, PCB, Metals……)

1. Depletion of the ozone layer
 UV spectrum

UV C UV B UV A

100 nm 280 320 400 nm

Absorbed by the Reaches Earth surface

ozone layer 285

UVB – carcinogenic factor

 Basic ozone depleting substances (ODS)
(Ritchie and Roser, 2018)

ODS are gases containing chlorine and/or bromine atoms which

have the potential to break down ozone in the stratosphere.

They are listed and described by the Montreal Protocol.

Best known:
• freons (CFC ; HCFC) containing F and Cl

• halons (HBFC) containing F and Br

 The use of freons in the past (CFC i HCFC)

5 30
35

30

Coolers Aerosols Foams

Systemy chłodnicze Aerozole Pianki (wypełniacz) Inne

NOW:
CFCs - completely banned
HCFC - banned in some regions (EU - to be eliminated by 2030)

Instead: F-gases (HFC, SF6, PFC)

 Mechanism of ozone layer depletion by
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) and
Hydrobromofluorocarbon (HBFC)

Freon
Some
persist over
600 years
 Depletion of ozon layer over the Antarctic
Dobson Unit DU
2.69×1016 ozone
molecules per cm2

The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer

Signed in 1985 (Poland joined in 1992)

The situation is now gradually improving,

but full recovery is expected by 2065 (NASA, 2015)
The use of ODS in Poland in 1986-2006
 2. Increase in the greenhouse effect

Solar radiation passes

through the GHG

Part is absorbed by earth

surface and warms it
Short wave=high energy

Part is reflected

Infrared radiation is emitted

and re-emitted by
Long wave low energy
greenhouse gas molecules

Temperature increases
 Changes of the average global Earth surface temperature
showed as deviations from the mean of 1951-1980 period
[0C]
Jones, 1999

Mean of the
1961-1990
period

NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) records from 1880

Earlier temperatures, climate features

We know from ice core investigations
Eternal ice from polar regions
 Basic greenhouse effect gases

Freons
and
F-gases High GWP F-gases
Global Warming Potential
 Global Warming Potential
of the Green House Gases GHG
Consequences:
• Glacier melting
• Desertification

• Rising sea level (3,4 mm/year)

3. Classical and photochemical smog
(An et al., 2008) London type smog Los Angeles type smog
(classical) (photochemical )
UV!

When cold, heating season, hot, sunny season

(grey) (brown-yellowish)
Favorable weather windless, wet conditions windless, hot, sunny
conditions (mists and fogs), conditions

Main source Coal combustion - Gasoline combustion

heating transportation

Components PM, NOx, SO2 NOx, VOC (primary)

O3, (secondary)

Negative influence Human health Human health

Vegetation health Vegetation health
 Photochemical smog
containing troposheric
(ground level) ozone

Photochemical smog is a mixture of:

Primary contaminants: VOC + nitrogen oxides

and

Secondary contaminants - strong oxidants such as

the ground level ozone
 Effects of ground level ozone
on living organisms or products

Eye irritation, asthma,

bronchitis, coughing and
chest pain, impaired lung Deterioration of rubber
function
plastics, paints, dyes,
Phytotoxicity fibres
(Ozone toxicity will be presented
separately )
4. Acid precipitation
normal pH about 5,6
pH of acid rain < 5
4 or even 3
 Effects of acid precipitation

• Metal and lime stone corosion

(Famous buildings and sculptures of lime
stone are in danger of deterioration)

• Toxic effect on aquatic ecosystems

(most vulnerable to pH decrease)

• Toxic effect on terrestrial

ecosystems (soil organisms, plants)
(will be presented separately)
 5. Eutrophication (overfeeding) of aquatic
(or terrestrial) ecosystems
• Nitrates and phosphates
surface runoff into waters,
+ammonia and nitrogen
oxide from air
• Algae grow rapidly with excess
N and P
• Decomposition of organic
material mass (oxygene use),
• Low oxygene level in waters
• Migration or death of aquatic
animals

Mexican gulf waters eutrophication - Dead zone with

oxygene level to low for animals to survive
(nitrates washed into the Mississippi river from the
vicinity agricultural areas)
6. Toxic effects

Next 6 lectures 