Marine Science Faculty Publications

Effect of Marine Antifouling Paint Particles Waste on Survival of Natural Bermuda Copepod Communities

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-2019

Keywords

Ecotoxicology, Antifouling waste, Copepods survival, Marine pollution, Copper, Biocide

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110492

Abstract

Marine antifouling paints (MAPs) are widely used to prevent organisms from fouling vessel hulls. When scraped from vessels as part of regular maintenance, MAP particles discharged into the seawater become a source of toxic substances, like copper (Cu), to the environment, and biocides leaching from them are known to cause toxic effects on non-target organisms. We investigated the toxicity of MAP particles collected from a Bermuda boatyard on local copepod communities using two experiments. Copepod survival, Chlorophyll a and total dissolved Cu concentrations were measured before and after MAP particles addition. In an acute toxicity test, the addition of 0.3 g/L of MAP particles resulted in 0% copepods survival within 88 h and increased dissolved Cu by 1.8 μM. A significant inverse relationship was observed between copepod survival and MAP particles quantity, highlighting the toxic effects of MAP particles from boat maintenance on copepod communities in the surrounding seawater.

Was this content written or created while at USF?

No

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Marine Pollution Bulletin, v. 149, art. 110492

Share

COinS