A critical analysis of the biological impacts of plasticizers on wildlife

This review provides a critical analysis of the biological effects of the most widely used plasticizers,including dibutyl phthalate, diethylhexyl phthalate, dimethyl phthalate, butyl benzyl phthalate andbisphenol A (BPA), on wildlife, with a focus on annelids (both aquatic and terrestrial), molluscs,crustaceans, insects, fish and amphibians. Moreover, the paper provides novel data on the biologicaleffects of some of these plasticizers in invertebrates, fish and amphibians. Phthalates and BPA havebeen shown to affect reproduction in all studied animal groups, to impair development in crustaceansand amphibians and to induce genetic aberrations. Molluscs, crustaceans and amphibiansappear to be especially sensitive to these compounds, and biological effects are observed at environmentallyrelevant exposures in the low ng l21 to mg l21 range. In contrast, most effects in fish(except for disturbance in spermatogenesis) occur at higher concentrations. Most plasticizersappear to act by interfering with the functioning of various hormone systems, but some phthalateshave wider pathways of disruption. Effect concentrations of plasticizers in laboratory experimentscoincide with measured environmental concentrations, and thus there is a very real potential foreffects of these chemicals on some wildlife populations. The most striking gaps in our currentknowledge on the impacts of plasticizers on wildlife are the lack of data for long-term exposuresto environmentally relevant concentrations and their ecotoxicity when part of complex mixtures.Furthermore, the hazard of plasticizers has been investigated in annelids, molluscs and arthropodsonly, and given the sensitivity of some invertebrates, effects assessments are warranted in otherinvertebrate phyla.