Cosmetics with hormonal composition for bioindicators Artemia salina L. and Allium cepa L. toxic potential

The emerging pollutants cover a wide range of synthetic chemicals that are indispensable to modern society but with little known effects for aquatic animals and for people who consume polluted waters with these products. Gels manipulated with hormones are widely used for hormone replacement, muscle growth, among other purposes. However, only a small part of these hormones are absorbed into the skin, and so these can be transferred to the domestic sewage during the washing of exposed body regions. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the toxicity levels for the bioindicator Artemia salina L., and cytotoxicity and mutagenicity for the bioindicator Allium cepa L. of gels handled with 1% testosterone and 0.1% estradiol. Data from immobile/dead A. salina numbers after 24 h of exposure showed that the highest concentrations of testosterone (10 and 25 mu g/mL) and the highest concentration of estradiol (15 mu g/mL) were toxic to this bioindicator. For the bioindicator A. cepa, mitotic indices and chromosomal aberrations did not indicate statistical differences between the groups treated with the testosterone gels (1, 10, 50 mu g/mL) and estradiol (0.03, 0.30, 1.5 mu g/mL) and the control group. However, all concentrations of the testosterone-containing gel decreased the percentage of cell division in relation to the time 0 h of each treatment and to the time 24 h of the negative control. Therefore, it is concluded that rivers or aquatic environments can be polluted if wastewater with the toxic concentrations found of these hormonal gels is discarded without previous treatment, compromising the life of organisms that live there. And, it encourages the development of techniques for treating sewage and water to reduce/eliminate the hormones present in them.