Meeting Abstract

P2.49  Tuesday, Jan. 5  Embryogenesis and Development of the Sea Urchin Arbacia Punctulata in the Presence of the Environmental Toxin Hypochlorite ROCK, M.O.*; DAVIS-BERG, E.C.; Columbia College Chicago; Columbia College Chicago octopustank@gmail.com

Sodium hypochlorite or bleach, found in wastewater from treatment plants and untreated runoff, can act as an environmental toxin. The sea urchin Arbacia punctulata, is a common subject of many embryological toxicity tests due to the sensitivity of the subject to environmental pollutants. Little published work has focused on the effects of sodium hypochlorite on sea urchin larval development, and the purpose of this research was to create a pilot study for sodium hypochlorite embryological toxicity testing in the laboratory. Sea urchin eggs and sperm were collected and fertilized then left to develop in seawater chlorination levels to mimic those found in chlorinated wastewater (0.125, 0.0625 and 0.03125 ppm Cl and a control). Effects were minimal on development and fertilization of Arbacia punctulata, though in many cases the embryos were smaller and took longer to develop at higher concentrations of sodium hypochlorite. While treatment of different dilutions of sodium hypochlorite did not predict the ratios of normal to abnormal embryos, treatment did seem to effect skeletal length. The average lengths for normal embryos were 27.17 µm for the control treatment, 28.38 µm for the 0.03125 treatment, and 25.77 µm for the 0.125 treatment. This study leads the way to further research on the metabolic effect of sodium hypochlorite on developing embryos in regards to retarded growth. Additional studies may include higher concentrations of sodium hypochlorite and toxicology studies with other embryological indicator organisms.