SINDERMANN: POLLUTION-ASSOCIATED DISEASES AND ABNORMALITIES 



of cell division and can damage the mitotic spindle 

 apparatus. Pelagic eggs may be most severely 

 damaged, since the surface film of the ocean has 

 been found to contain high concentrations of con- 

 taminants such as petroleum components, 

 halogenated hydrocarbons, and heavy metals 

 (Maclntyre 1974). 



Some experimental evidence is available. Fish 

 larvae incubated in cadmium-polluted water ac- 

 cumulated the metal (Westernhagen et al. 1974; 

 Rosenthal and Sperling 1974), and eggs incubated 

 in as little as 1 ppm cadmium produced low per- 

 centages of viable larvae (Westernhagen et al. 

 1975; Westernhagen and Dethlefsen 1975). 



Some relevant experimental research on 

 radionuclide-induced mutagenesis (Romashov 

 and Belyayeva 1966; Ivanov 1967; AEC-TR- 

 7299'"^) has disclosed that many fish embryos with 

 severe chromosomal damage died during the 

 transition from blastula to gastrula. Abnormal 

 postgastrula embryos contained higher numbers 

 of chromosomal aberrations than normal em- 

 bryos, and the abnormal embryos had high mor- 

 tality just before hatching. However, even the 

 normal-appearing embryos with radiation expo- 

 sure (and consequent genetic disturbances) had 

 low viability and high mortality at hatching and 

 subsequent to hatching. 



Recently, Longwell (1976a, b) reported high 

 prevalences of chromosomal anomalies in Atlantic 

 mackerel , Scorn ber scotfi brus , eggs and embryos in 

 certain samples taken from the New York Bight. 

 All degrees of chromosomal damage were found, 

 including failure to align at the metaphase plate, 

 incomplete spindle formation, translocation 

 bridges, chromosomal "stickiness," losses of por- 

 tions of chromosomes and "pulverization." Eggs 

 with at least one chromosome or mitotic abnor- 

 mality varied from 13 to 79^r . Higher percentages 

 seemed associated generally with degrees of en- 

 vironmental degradation. In addition to 

 chromosomal anomalies, one station (the one with 

 highest prevalence of anomalies) was also charac- 

 terized by significant {26'7c ) egg mortality. 



The techniques developed by Longwell (1976b) 

 permitted examination of historical collections of 

 eggs and embryos for chromosomal damage. A 

 limited collection taken in 1966 from the same 

 geographic area disclosed a lower incidence of 



cytogenetic abnormalities than that found in the 

 1974 collection. 



Samples examined to date from normal and de- 

 graded waters are still insufficient, as Longwell 

 ( 1976b) pointed out, to make definitive statements 

 about the relationship of pollutants and extent of 

 damage to genetic material, but the data pre- 

 sented so far indicates that such a relationship 

 may exist. Because of the implications of these 

 findings in survival and abundance of economic 

 marine species, it is particularly important that 

 this kind of research be pursued vigorously. It may 

 well be that a new and significant mortality factor 

 for estuarine and coastal populations — increased 

 genetic damage — may have been introduced with 

 increasing chemical pollution. 



It is likely that marine organisms will respond 

 to mutagens in species-specific ways and with dif- 

 fering sensitivities. Some indication of this can be 

 found in a recent paper by Vandermeulen and 

 Lee^-^ in which cultures of the alga Chlainydomo- 

 nas reinhardtii were exposed to crude and refined 

 oils (Kuwait crude, Saran Gach crude, diesel 25, 

 and bunker C). No enhanced mutation rates (as 

 detected by streptomycin resistance) were found 

 after 3 wk of exposure (40-50 generations), a sur- 

 prising finding, since the alga is susceptible to cer- 

 tain other known mutagens and since the test oils 

 contain various polycyclic aromatics which are 

 known mutagens. No cytological examinations 

 were reported. The authors pointed out that con- 

 centrations of mutagenic components in the test 

 oils may be low compared with concentrations 

 used in cell and tissue culture to elicit enhanced 

 mutation rates, and that extrapolation of labora- 

 tory results to the marine environment should be 

 done very conservatively. 



An indirect test for the presence of mutagens in 

 the marine environment has been reported re- 

 cently by Parry et al. (1976). Mytilus edulis were 

 sampled from polluted and unpolluted waters of 

 the United Kingdom, and extracts of their tissues 

 were tested for ability to induce genetic changes in 

 bacterial and yeast cultures. Significant increases 

 in mutation rates for specific gene loci charac- 

 terized cultures exposed to extracts of mussels 

 from polluted waters, but not those from clean 

 waters — providing evidence for the presence of 

 mutagens that had been concentrated in the tis- 



■2AEC-TR-7299. Marine radioecology. 1972. (Distrib- 

 uted by NTIS, U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal 

 Road, Springfield, VA 22151.) 



i^andermeulen, J. H., and R. W. Lee. 1977. Absence of 

 mutagenicity due to crude and refined oils in the alga 

 Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Int. Counc. Explor. Sea, 

 Plankton Comm., Doc. CM1977/E:69, 5 p. 



735 



