Meeting Abstract
Bisphenol-A (BPA, 4,4′-(propane-2,2-diyl)diphenol) is a polycarbonate chemical largely utilized in the production of plastics and epoxy resins. Likely due to large scale use in industry, BPA has been shown to be increasingly ubiquitous in the environment. This is of concern as it has been shown to behave as an endocrine disruptor in many vertebrate species, including humans. BPA has been shown to interact with several types of estrogen and estrogen-like receptors, and can also bind to a multitude of transcriptional co-regulators. Embryonic and immature juvenile forms appear to be the most sensitive to the effects. While considerable attention has been given to the effects on vertebrate animals, the effects of BPA exposure on invertebrates are not widely understood. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of BPA exposure on developing red-swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii. Postembryonic larva were isolated within a week of hatching, split into groups, and repeatedly exposed to BPA at lower (common environmental concentration) and higher (ten-times normal concentration) doses. Untreated animals served as controls for the experiment. A variety of physical (e.g. mass, length, and coloration) and physiological (e.g. molting) parameters were assessed weekly over the course of a fourteen week study. BPA exposure at high concentrations resulted in a difference in mass, but had only a marginal (non-significant) affect at low dose. Neither exposure had an effect on length, nor was there a discernible effect on coloration or pattern. Both low and high levels of exposure appeared to increase the rate of molting of individuals. We are continuing to investigate this effect.
