An investigation into the effects of contaminants leached from smoked cigarette filters on Mytilus edulis L. using a suite of biomarkers to assess damage on genetic, cellular and physiological levels

Marine ecosystems are under threat from the increasing quantity, number and variety of anthropogenic chemicals entering the marine environment. Each cigarette contains over 4000 chemicals. The filter on cigarettes is designed to absorb vapours and accumulate particulate smoke components making the filter a rich source of potential pollutants. Cigarette ends are casually discarded on pavements and roads and washed into sewers and waterways after periods of heavy rain finally ending up in our oceans and on our beaches. Cigarette filters have recently become the most prolific form of litter on our beaches. This problem is set to become worse in the near future due to the implementation of new legislative action, the health improvement and protection bill, which will be in action by 2008. This will ban smoking in public places such as pubs, clubs, restaurants and offices. This will force more people to smoke outside, increasing cigarette deposition and thus exacerbate this potential environmental hazard. Biomarkers can detect a wide range of contaminants and indicate their potential ecological effects. The sentinel bivalve Mytilus edulis was used as the test organism in this investigation. A suite of biomarkers were used to detect damage on a genetic and cellular level as well as damage representative to the organism as a whole. This investigation has determined that exposure to 10 contaminated filters for 48 hours increased the level of genetic damage found in M.edulis haemocytes when compared to that found in the control organisms. It established that cell variability of M.edulis haemocytes exposed to 10 contaminated filters for 48 hours increased in experiment 1. The results also revealed that exposure of M.edulis to contaminated filters depressed the organisms feeding rate (clearance rate) and experiment 2 showed a clear concentration response relationship. An increase in mortality was observed when the exposure period of M.edulis to contaminated filters was increased. The comet assay and the clearance rate assay both appear to be sensitive for M.edulis exposed to contaminated filters. The cellular viability assay appears to have been influenced by large inter-individual variability.Faculty of Scienc