Journal of Clinical Toxicology
Open Access

Relevance of assays using mollusks and perspectives in environmental risk assessment

4^th Global Summit on Toxicology

August 24-26, 2015 Philadelphia, USA

Lenita de Freitas Tallarico

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Clin Toxicol

Abstract :

Chemical compounds in the aquatic environmental can cause effects on organisms, interacting with natural stressors, affecting the
reproduction and survival of the exposed population. It is important to consider the new tools for understand the relationship
between the levels of contaminants in the ecosystem and their effects on the local biota. For this, the best strategy is to use native
species with ecological significance and sensitive to environmental pollutants. Considering that two thirds of the Earth is compound
by aquatic environment and more than 90% of the living species are invertebrates and that gather the second largest group in kingdom
Animalia, the mollusks represent an important group in food chains. These organisms are vital to sustaining many habitats, and
have been excellent environmental health indicators, acting as early warning sentinels of habitat deterioration. Tests developed
with molluscan species may therefore be more amenable to extrapolation in risk assessment programs than ones based on phyla
less numerically significant. Several studies demonstrated that freshwater gastropods have been important in eco toxicological
assessments, especially with Biomphalaria glabrata (Say, 1818), Lymnaea stagnalis (Linnaeus, 1758) and Potamopyrgus antipodarum
(Gray, 1843). The development of new toxicity and mutagenicity tests with species of environmental significance is necessary for
the adoption of control profiles in polluted areas and serves to conserve areas less disturbed. The next step that being started is
standardize these assays by regulatory agencies to evaluation of the chemical substances and water samples.

Biography :

Lenita de Freitas Tallarico is a Biologist and Professor whose scientific fields of study are ecotoxicology and malacology. She completed her PhD from Nuclear Energy
Research Institute (University of São Paulo) and Postdoctoral from State University of Campinas and Butantan Institute. Her current area of investigation is focused on the
molecular and morphological phylogeny of mollusks, reproduction, bioindicators and environmental monitoring.