HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

Toxicity and biotransformation of bisphenol S in freshwater green alga Chlorella vulgaris.

Study Abstract

Safety and environmental behavior of bisphenol A (BPA) alternatives have attracted considerable attention because of their wide use. In the present study, toxicity and biotransformation of bisphenol S (BPS), a primary alternative to BPA, in Chlorella vulgaris were investigated. BPS had a significant inhibition on the growth rate of C. vulgaris with an inhibition rate of 41.6%, 103.7% and 238.4% under exposure of 1, 10 and 100 mg L-1 BPS, respectively. BPS (2 d EC50: 3.16 mg L-1) had a higher acute toxicity to C. vulgaris than BPA (2 d EC50: 41.43 mg L-1), but its toxicity was gradually lower than BPA as the exposure time increased. BPS underwent rapid degradation and was more recalcitrant to degradation by C. vulgaris than BPA at 5 and 10 mg L-1. BPS was less accumulated in algal cells than BPA (p < 0.05), suggesting that it may pose less risk than BPA on the aquatic algophagous organisms and other high-trophic-level predators through the food chain. In addition, six new metabolites of BPS were identified in algal cells using high-resolution mass spectrometry. This is the first time that degradation pathway for BPS in algae is described, and these results represent a significant advance in understanding the fate of BPS and other BPA substitutes in the aquatic environment.