Peculiarities of environmental genotoxicity in offshore zones of the Baltic and North Seas

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.

Micronucleus test in different fish species has been considered a sensitive tool for the evaluation of genotoxic effects in coastal zones of the Baltic and North Seas. In the present study, micronuclei (MN) and other nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes from peripheral blood and cephalic kidney were analyzed in flounder (Platichthys flesus) and cod (Gadus morhua) from 9 offshore locations in the Baltic Sea and in cod and dab (Limanda limanda) inhabited 9 zones in the North Sea. The outputs of the current study revealed that micronuclei frequency <0.05 MN/1000 cells could be defined as reference level in fish from the offshore zones in the Baltic Sea and <0.1 MN/1000 cells – in the North Sea. The highest response (0.34 MN/1000 cells) was found in dab females from areas potentially impacted by contamination from the River Elbe (Germany). Comparatively high levels of micronuclei (0.31 and 0.28 MN/1000 cells) and fragmented-apoptotic (FA) cells (0.34 and 0.5 FA/1000 cells) were observed in dab from areas close to oil and gas platforms in the North Sea. Increased genotoxicity was identified in the Baltic flounders from the Arkona Basin (0.3 MN/1000 cells and 0.25 FA/1000 cells). In fish cephalic kidney, the response to genotoxic/mutagenic compounds was higher than in peripheral blood, in flatfish females was higher than in males. Flounder and dab are more sensitive to action of genotoxins compared to cod, thus, the flatfish species could be used in the further monitoring of environmental genotoxicity in offshore zones.