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- Title
Hydroquinone Ecotoxicity: Unveiling Risks in Soil and River Ecosystems with Insights into Microbial Resilience.
- Authors
Valenzuela, Antonio; Ballestero, Diego; Gan, Cristina; Lorca, Guillermo; Langa, Elisa; Pino-Otín, María Rosa
- Abstract
Despite widespread industrial use, the environmental safety of hydroquinone (HQ), a benzene compound from plants used in processes like cosmetics, remains uncertain. This study evaluated the ecotoxicological impact of HQ on soil and river environments, utilizing non-target indicator organisms from diverse trophic levels: Daphnia magna, Aliivibrio fischeri, Allium cepa, and Eisenia fetida. For a more environmentally realistic assessment, microbial communities from a river and untreated soil underwent 16S rRNA gene sequencing, with growth and changes in community-level physiological profiling assessed using Biolog EcoPlate™ assays. The water indicator D. magna exhibited the highest sensitivity to HQ (EC50 = 0.142 µg/mL), followed by A. fischeri (EC50 = 1.446 µg/mL), and A. cepa (LC50 = 7.631 µg/mL), while E. fetida showed the highest resistance (EC50 = 234 mg/Kg). Remarkably, microbial communities mitigated HQ impact in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. River microorganisms displayed minimal inhibition, except for a significant reduction in polymer metabolism at the highest concentration (100 µg/mL). Soil communities demonstrated resilience up to 100 µg/mL, beyond which there was a significant decrease in population growth and the capacity to metabolize carbohydrates and polymers. Despite microbial mitigation, HQ remains highly toxic to various trophic levels, emphasizing the necessity for environmental regulations.
- Subjects
HYDROQUINONE; DAPHNIA magna; BENZENE compounds; ONIONS; EISENIA foetida; CORAL reefs &; islands; BACTERIAL communities; MICROBIAL communities
- Publication
Toxics, 2024, Vol 12, Issue 2, p115
- ISSN
2305-6304
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/toxics12020115