The Effect of Sub-Lethal Exposure of Diethyl Phthalate on Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Larvae Development

The usage of personal care products such as shampoo and cosmetic are increasing rapidly. All personal care products contain numerous chemical substances and one of the most common chemical substances is diethy] phthalate (DEP). There are high probabilities that the chemical used in personal care product will end up in the aquatic ecosystem. Since there are lacks of information about the effect of DEP exposure on aquatic organism, therefore this study aim to evaluate the potential impact DEP could impose if such condition occurs. The Zebrafish (Danio rerio) which has the advantages of having transparency larvae, develop rapidly, high fecundity and easy to maintain in captivity was selected as the model organism for this study. The effect of sub-lethal exposure of DEP on Zebrafish development are then determined at few temporal end points (hatching, free-swim, survival rate). In addition, the larvae were also observed for any phenotypic deformities or malformation during the treatment period. Result state that sub-lethal concentration is range of 0.01 % to 0.07% with 0.03% DEP show most consistent result. At 0.03% (300ppm) DEP, hatching, free-swim and survival rate were reduced in treatment by 15.09%, 31.97% and 42.79% respectively compared to control. The hatching, free-swim and survival rate are significantly different between treatment with control (P