Bisphenol a used in plastic industry negatively affects wild vimba bream (Vimba vimba)

Abstract

Used as a component of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins in the modern industrial world, bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the highest volume produced industrial chemicals worldwide. BPA causes important environmental problems including endocrine disrupting effect on the organisms in aquatic environments. This study focused on the histopathological, oxidative and hematological effects of long-term BPA exposure on wild vimba bream (Vimba vimba) for the first time. Twenty-five fish stocked in each aquarium and exposed to 1000 µg/L BPA for four weeks. Hematological parameters of fish did not differ significantly compared to control group. The antioxidant activity of liver and gill tissues created a significant partial difference between the groups. According to the histopathological studies, intense hyperplasia and necrosis were detected in the gill tissues of the fish exposed BPA. In addition, hypertrophy and epithelial lifting symptom were partly observed. Vocalization and hypertrophic cells was determined in the liver tissues. In conclusions, this study revealed that BPA had an oxidative and especially histopathologically adverse effects on V. vimba, even though it did not have a hematological effect on the treated fish. Although BPA has adverse effects on the health of aquatic organisms, future studies should focus on the residue in fish meat and risk assessment on human health.