Program

Organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) have been widely used in various household and industrial products, such as electronic equipment, plastic products, textiles, furniture and building materials. As the most important replacement of brominated flame retardants, the usage and environmental occurrence of OPFRs increase dramatically in the recent years. Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) is one of the heavily used OPFRs and it has been detected globally in various environments and biota, such as indoor and outdoor air, surface water including fresh water and sea water, sediment, and biota. However, little is known about the toxicological effects of TDCPP in marine fish. We used the marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) as the marine model fish to investigate the potential developmental toxicity of TDCPP in the fish embryos and larvae. Results indicated that TDCPP exposure induced the malformation rate of marine medaka larvae, with the pectoral disorder as the major abnormality. In addition, TDCPP exposure reduced the lipid content of the larvae. The molecular mechanisms of TDCPP induced toxicity are under investigation.