Impact of some phenolic compounds on the freshwater snail, Biomphalaria alexandrina, and the Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus

Abstract

The aquatic environment is continually being contaminated with destructive synthetic chemicals from the effluents of agricultural, industrial, and domestic activities (Matos et al., 2007). Regardless of industrial complexity and human-made synthetic compounds which have made lives progressively advantageous, in any case at similar occasions, they may likewise cause adverse unanticipated impacts on both humans, wildlife (Nakamura et al., 2015), fish (Hallgren et al., 2014) and their reproduction (Barucca et al., 2006). Numerous endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) including pesticides, insecticides, surfactants, plasticizers (Denslow et al., 2001), and fertilizers (Verderame et al., 2016) may carry on as estrogen copies. Phenol and phenolic compounds are examples of the endocrine disruptor compounds and it likewise has great potential for compromising the immune system and expands the susceptibility of fish to secondary infections (Writer et al., 2010). Many industries for example, coal refineries, phenol manufacturing, industries of resin, paint, dyeing, textile, leather, petrochemical, and pulp mill release phenols into water. Also, the decomposition of plant matter additionally adds to probability of phenol accumulations in the aquatic ecosystem (Ali et al., 2011). Phenol is moreover found in medicinal preparations including throat lozenges, commercial antiseptic lotions and package labeling data shows that commercial throat lozenges contain up to 29 mg of phenol for each lozenge (Darisimall, 2006). Phenol may be also found in disinfectants and cleaners (O’Neil, 2001). In developing countries, hospital effluents are often drained into municipal wastewater systems and discharged into water bodies frequently without any treatment aimed at reducing public health risks. These wastes include drugs and their