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In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there has been an increased need for personal and environmental decontamination to aid in curbing transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Products used for this purpose include sanitizers for hands and disinfectants for surfaces. The active chemical ingredients used in these products, termed antimicrobials, can enter waste streams after application and may be emerging as more prominent environmental contaminants. Even prior to COVID-19, there was recognized need to examine their implications for aquatic biota, which is now made more pressing due to their exaggerated use in response to the pandemic. Our objectives were to identify current antimicrobial active ingredients, quantify their increased use, and determine which may be candidates for further consideration as possible aquatic contaminants. By consulting multiple sources of publicly available information in Canada, we identified current-use antimicrobials from the lists of sanitizers and surface disinfectants approved for use against SARS-CoV-2 by Health Canada and the drug registration database. To estimate the use of sanitizers and disinfectants, we evaluated import quantities and grocery store retail sales of related compounds and products (Statistics Canada) and both lines of evidence supported increased use trends. The list of identified antimicrobials was refined to include only candidates with potential to reach aquatic ecosystems, and information on their environmental concentrations and toxicity to aquatic biota was reviewed. Candidate antimicrobials (n = 32) fell into four main categories: quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), phenols, acids, and salts. Benzalkonium chloride, a QAC, was the most prominent active ingredient used in both nonalcohol-based hand sanitizers and surface disinfectants. Four QACs followed in prevalence and the next most used antimicrobial was triclosan (hand sanitizers only), an established and regulated environmental contaminant. Little information was found on environmental concentrations of other candidates, suggesting that the majority would fall into the category of emerging contaminants if they enter aquatic systems. Several were classified as acutely or chronically toxic to aquatic biota (Globally Harmonized System), and thus we recommend empirical research begin focusing on environmental monitoring of all candidate antimicrobials as a critical next step, with detection method development first where needed. Keywords: biocide, pharmaceutical and personal care products, PPCP, pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, Canada, COVID-19, antimicrobial En reponse a la pandemie de coronavirus (COVID-19), un besoin accru de decontamination personnelle et environnementale s'est manifeste pour aider a freiner la transmission du virus SRAS-CoV-2. Les produits utilises a cette fin comprennent des assainisseurs pour les mains et des desinfectants pour les surfaces. Les ingredients chimiques actifs utilises dans ces produits, appeles antimicrobiens, peuvent entrer dans les systemes des eaux usees apres leur application et peuvent devenir des contaminants environnementaux plus importants. Avant meme l'avenement de la COVID-19, on reconnaissait qu'il etait necessaire d'examiner leurs implications pour le biote aquatique, ce qui est aujourd'hui rendu plus urgent en raison de leur utilisation exageree en reponse a la pandemie. Nos objectifs consistaient a identifier les ingredients actifs antimicrobiens actuels, a quantifier leur utilisation accrue et a determiner ceux qui pourraient etre consideres comme des contaminants aquatiques potentiels. En consultant de multiples sources d'information publiquement accessibles au Canada, nous avons pu identifieer les antimicrobiens utilises actuellement a partir des listes d'assainisseurs et de desinfectants de surface dont l'utilisation contre le SRAS-CoV-2 a ete approuvee par Sante Canada, et de la base de donnees sur les produits pharmaceutiques. Pour estimer l'utilisation des assainisseurs et des desinfectants, nous avons evalue les quantites importees et les ventes au detail dans les epiceries de composes et de produits connexes (Statistique Canada) et les deux sources de donnees ont confirme les tendances a l'augmentation de l'utilisation. La liste des antimicrobiens identifies a ete affinee pour n'inclure que les candidats susceptibles d'atteindre les ecosystemes aquatiques, et les informations sur leurs concentrations environnementales et leur toxicite pour le biote aquatique ont ete examinees. Les antimicrobiens candidats (n = 32) se repartissent en quatre grandes categories: les composes d'ammonium quaternaire (CAQ), les phenols, les acides et les sels. Le chlorure de benzalkonium, un CAQ, etait l'ingredient actif le plus utilise dans les desinfectants non alcoolises pour les mains et les desinfectants de surface. Quatre CAQ suivaient en prevalence et l'antimicrobien le plus utilise ensuite etait le triclosan (uniquement dans les desinfectants pour les mains), un contaminant environnemental avere et reglemente. Peu d'informations sur les concentrations environnementales des autres candidats etaient accessibles, ce qui suggere que la majorite d'entre eux entreraient dans la categorie des contaminants emergents s'ils penetrent dans les systemes aquatiques. Plusieurs d'entre eux ont ete classes comme presentant une toxicite aigue ou chronique pour le biote aquatique (Systeme general harmonise de classification et d'etiquetage des produits chimiques, SGH). Les auteurs recommandent donc que la recherche empirique commence a se concentrer sur la surveillance environnementale de tous les candidats antimicrobiens comme prochaine etape critique, en commencant par le developpement de methodes de detection si necessaire. Le texte integral de l'article en francais est disponible parmi les documents supplementaires. Mots-cles : biocide, produits pharmaceutiques et de soins personnels, PPSP, pandemie, SRAS-CoV-2, Canada, COVID-19, antimicrobien, 1. Introduction The use of sanitizing and disinfecting products dramatically increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (da Silva et al. 2021; Dhama et al. 2021), and more information on the impacts [...]

Microplastics (MPs) are pervasive environmental contaminants in aquatic systems. Due to their small size, they can be ingested by aquatic biota, and numerous negative effects have been documented. Determining the risks to aquatic organisms is reliant on characterizing the environmental presence and concentrations of MPs, and developing efficient ways to do so over wide scales by means of aerial remote sensing would be beneficial. We conducted a systematic literature review to assess the state of the science of aerial remote sensing of aquatic MPs and propose further research steps to advance the field. Based on 28 key references, we outline three main approaches that currently remain largely experimental rather than operational: remote sensing of aquatic MPs based on (1) their spectral characteristics, (2) their reduction of water surface roughness, and (3) indirect proxies, notably other suspended water constituents. The first two approaches have the most potential for wide-scale monitoring, and the spectral detection of aquatic MPs is seemingly the most direct approach, with the fewest potential confounding factors. Whereas efforts to date have focused on inherently challenging detection in coarse-resolution satellite imagery, we suggest that better progress could be made by experimenting with image acquisition at much lower altitudes and finer spatial and spectral resolutions, which can be conveniently achieved using drones equipped with high-precision hyperspectral sensors. Beyond developing drone-based aquatic MP monitoring capabilities, such experiments could help with upscaling to satellite-based monitoring for global coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaculture chemotherapeutants used to control sea lice in finfish aquaculture can disperse into the marine habitat and have the potential to affect non-target species like crustaceans. Some of the compounds used (especially in Canada) include in-feed drugs such as emamectin benzoate (EMB), and ivermectin (IVER), as well as bath pesticides such as azamethiphos (AZA) and hydrogen peroxide (HP). Despite the paucity of data, crustacean life cycle stages appear to have varying sensitivities to these compounds. This data review sets out to examine the intraspecies variation in sensitivity within life stages for lobster (Homarus) and prawn (Pandalus) species. Despite limited information, it appears that prawn eggs, adults, and juveniles are less sensitive to AZA and EMB compared with larvae, whereas for lobster the opposite is true: adults and juveniles are more sensitive than larvae to AZA (there was insufficient data to assess EMB). For HP, the sensitivity of prawn eggs appears comparable to larvae, but hatching success data suggest that this important stage of development is less impacted than eggs themselves as indicated by one study. These differences are important considerations for toxicity threshold determination processes and risk assessments, which ideally are environmentally relevant, and highlight the need for more data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the applicability of the current socio-ecological model to characterize the social structure of Colobus vellerosus, a folivorous primate. The current socio-ecological model predicts that female social relationships should respond in predictable ways to food abundance and distribution and associated competitive regimes. It appears to successfully explain variation in social structure in some primate species; however, recent research indicates that several folivorous or folivore-frugivorous species seem to be exceptions. We present data on social relationships and social structure in two groups of C. vellerosus over 15 months at Boabeng-Fiema, Ghana. As predicted by the model, our results indicate the co-occurrence of 1) low levels of grooming between female C. vellerosus when compared with other species, 2) an absence of female coalitions over food, and 3) female dispersal. Taken together, these traits suggest a 'Dispersal-Egalitarian' species. However, our results also indicate female-female affiliation was higher than male-female affiliation, which was more indicative of a 'female resident' species. Our data also suggests intersexual affiliation varied among groups. This variation in inter-sexual affiliation could be due to variation in the intensity of infanticidal threats between groups. The combination of these social characteristics lead us to conclude that C. vellerosus' social structure is largely congruent with the ecological indicators of food distribution and female competitive regime that we have previously documented, which indicated high quality foods were not monopolizable or usurpable and behavioral evidence of within-group contest competition (i.e. supplantations over food) was rare. But the combination of higher female-female affiliation (compared to male-female) and female dispersal is difficult to explain in light of predictions, unless future work reveals female residency is more predominant than female dispersal in our population. We also discuss reasons why some folivores do not appear to fit the predictions of the current socio-ecological model. KEY WORDS colobines; social structure; food competition; affiliation; dispersal

The toxicokinetics of triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) in vivo including the uptake, deposition, and biotransformation into the metabolite diphenyl phosphate (DPHP) is presently reported in embryonated eggs and chicks of Japanese quail. Quail were dosed with TPHP at 3 concentrations by air cell egg injection on embryonic day 0, followed by daily oral dosing after chicks hatched (5 d). Vehicle‐only exposed controls were also used. In dosed eggs, only 33% of the TPHP remained 2 d after injection (no hepatic development); after 10 d (post‐hepatogenesis), only 2% remained. The estimated TPHP half‐lives in the eggs ranged from 1.1 to 1.8 d for the 3 dosed groups. In all exposed eggs and chicks, DPHP significantly increased with dose (0.001 < p < 0.044). It appears that DPHP is an important metabolite in quail, making up 41 to 74% of all metabolites formed in embryonated eggs. In chicks, at medium and high doses, DPHP concentrations significantly exceeded those of TPHP (p ≤ 0.007), making up 67 and 76% of the total burden, respectively. Our findings suggest that rapid TPHP metabolism occurred in chicks and embryonated quail eggs but that this may vary with the age of the embryonated egg and the stage of embryo development, which should be considered when evaluating concentrations of TPHP and DPHP measured in eggs of wild birds. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:565–573. © 2019 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry © 2019 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]