Meeting Abstract
Personal care products (PCPs) comprise a wide variety of daily-use products that contain preservatives to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold. Parabens, the most commonly used preservatives, have been recently implicated in human health issues, causing PCP manufacturers to shift toward alternative preservatives in production and marketing. These compounds enter the ocean but their effects on marine organisms are not well known. This study aimed to test the lethal and sublethal effects of methylparaben (MP), the most widely used paraben, as well as two “safer” alternatives—2-phenoxyethanol (2-PE) and chlorphenesin (CPN)—on early development of the sea urchin Arbacia punctulata. Zygotes were added to stirred glass jars with five concentrations of 2-PE, CPN, and MP and allowed to develop in a 48-hour assay. Embryos were staged to record lethal effects, and larvae that had developed to the pluteus stage were measured using skeletal landmarks to estimate sublethal effects on growth. MP, CPN, and 2-PE showed lethal effects at log concentrations of 2, 2.5, and 3 ppm, respectively. Sublethal effects on skeletal growth were evident at log concentrations as low as 1.5 ppm and followed roughly the same order among compounds. Skeletal asymmetry also increased over the same concentrations. These effects on mortality and body size and shape could reduce success in the plankton for sea urchins and other marine invertebrates. Although environmental concentrations are generally lower than those at which harm was detected, more research is needed to understand effects of chronic exposure and the synergistic effects of multiple compounds or environmental stresses like UV and temperature.
