Evaluating Community-Level Effects of 6PPD-Quinone in a Natural Boreal Lake Ecosystem
4 affiliations
- 1Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, Ontario L7S 1A1, Canada
- 2Department of Marine Science, The University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, Texas 78373, United States
- 3International Institute for Sustainable DevelopmentExperimental Lakes Area, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 0X7, Canada
- 4Department of Chemistry, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
Abstract
6PPD-quinone (6PPD-Q), a transformation product of the tire rubber antioxidant 6PPD, is an emerging contaminant known for its acute toxicity to certain salmonids. However, its potential impacts on aquatic communities remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, 6PPD-Q-spiked limnocorrals were deployed in a natural boreal lake, and water chemistry, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthic invertebrate communities were assessed over 28 days following a single pulse exposure (0–100 μg/L) simulating stormwater runoff. Waterborne 6PPD-Q concentrations declined by 80–99% by the end of the study, with no detectable effects on water chemistry or aquatic communities. Temporal changes in chlorophyll-a concentrations and zooplankton abundance were attributed to seasonal dynamics rather than 6PPD-Q exposure, and benthic invertebrate community composition remained unchanged. Concurrently, wild-spawned fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) embryos were exposed to 6PPD-Q-spiked water collected from the limnocorrals. Larval survival declined significantly at 100 μg/L, with altered hatch timing and sublethal effects including reduced growth, changes in eye, yolk sac, and pericardial areas, and altered energy allocation. These effects occurred at 10.6–22.4 μg/L and above, concentrations that exceed those so far reported in surface waters and stormwater by approximately an order of magnitude. Collectively, this study provides the first field-scale assessment of 6PPD-Q effects on aquatic communities and early life-stage fish. Environmental Significance. This study provides the first field-scale assessment of 6PPD-Q impacts on freshwater communities. While broad aquatic communities appeared resilient to short-term exposure scenarios, early life stages of fish responded at concentrations above those currently reported in the environment, identifying developmental end points that warrant attention when assessing the risks of tire-derived contaminants in freshwater ecosystems.
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BibTeX
@article{ussery2026evaluating,
title = {{Evaluating Community-Level Effects of 6PPD-Quinone in a Natural Boreal Lake Ecosystem}},
author = {Erin J. Ussery and Kerri Lynn Ackerly and Kathleen J. Roark and Jose Luis Rodriguez-Gil and Lauren Timlick and Vince Palace and Alon R. Agua and Michael Pirrung and Kristin Nielsen},
journal = {Environmental Science \& Technology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1021/acs.est.6c08085},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6c08085},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Evaluating Community-Level Effects of 6PPD-Quinone in a Natural Boreal Lake Ecosystem
AU - Erin J. Ussery
AU - Kerri Lynn Ackerly
AU - Kathleen J. Roark
AU - Jose Luis Rodriguez-Gil
AU - Lauren Timlick
AU - Vince Palace
AU - Alon R. Agua
AU - Michael Pirrung
AU - Kristin Nielsen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Environmental Science & Technology
DO - 10.1021/acs.est.6c08085
UR - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6c08085
AB - 6PPD-quinone (6PPD-Q), a transformation product of the tire rubber antioxidant 6PPD, is an emerging contaminant known for its acute toxicity to certain salmonids. However, its potential impacts on aquatic communities remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, 6PPD-Q-spiked limnocorrals were deployed in a natural boreal lake, and water chemistry, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthic invertebrate communities were assessed over 28 days following a single pulse exposure (0–100 μg/L) simulating stormwater runoff. Waterborne 6PPD-Q concentrations declined by 80–99% by the end of the study, with no detectable effects on water chemistry or aquatic communities. Temporal changes in chlorophyll-a concentrations and zooplankton abundance were attributed to seasonal dynamics rather than 6PPD-Q exposure, and benthic invertebrate community composition remained unchanged. Concurrently, wild-spawned fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) embryos were exposed to 6PPD-Q-spiked water collected from the limnocorrals. Larval survival declined significantly at 100 μg/L, with altered hatch timing and sublethal effects including reduced growth, changes in eye, yolk sac, and pericardial areas, and altered energy allocation. These effects occurred at 10.6–22.4 μg/L and above, concentrations that exceed those so far reported in surface waters and stormwater by approximately an order of magnitude. Collectively, this study provides the first field-scale assessment of 6PPD-Q effects on aquatic communities and early life-stage fish. Environmental Significance. This study provides the first field-scale assessment of 6PPD-Q impacts on freshwater communities. While broad aquatic communities appeared resilient to short-term exposure scenarios, early life stages of fish responded at concentrations above those currently reported in the environment, identifying developmental end points that warrant attention when assessing the risks of tire-derived contaminants in freshwater ecosystems.
SN - 0013-936X
SN - 1520-5851
ER -