A science dedicated to explaining how chemical pollutants affect human and ecosystem health, theEcotoxicologyIt is becoming increasingly essential. Despite the growing global awareness of the problems caused by pesticides, microplastics, and many other contaminants, the field still faces difficulties in establishing itself in Brazil. Our team fromMarine Ecotoxicology Laboratory of the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ)has been working for 30 years to strengthen this field. However, we still face basic obstacles.
One of the main obstacles is that Ecotoxicology is not yet included among the specific areas of knowledge recognized by the main Brazilian research support institutions, mainly theCNPqand theCAPESThis is important because it enables funding calls that address their problems and methods, better project evaluations, and increased visibility for scientific fields.
However, the impact of a chemist on the environment can only be fully understood when related to its effects on native life. The history of the discipline itself shows that it emerged from the need to understand environmental consequences that other areas were still unable to see, or were ready to accept.
A science built on conflict
The case ofDDTis an excellent example of this situation. The environmental damage caused by the substance (which was widely used in pest control) was revealed by biologist Rachel Carlson in her book "Silent Spring", published in 1962. At the time, the work faced strong scientific and political opposition.
This work was a landmark in the history of Ecotoxicology. It disseminated concepts such asbioaccumulationandbiomagnification, in which a substance can accumulate in an organism and increase in concentration as it passes through predators in the food chain. Even years after the substance was banned in various countries, it still persists in the environment, and there arereports of human contamination.
Another well-established scientific example occurred in the shipbuilding industry. Traditionally, the paints used on ship hulls containedtributyltin, known by the acronym TBTto prevent the attachment of organisms. In the 1980s,studies demonstratedthat the substance causes reproductive changes in marine mollusks, including the so-called "imposex", in which females develop male characteristics.
In Brazil, the problem was first detected in Guanabara Bay in 1997 by our group. TBT was banned by the International Maritime Organization in 2008, butit still persistsin the environment of several countries. In addition, most of the new anti-incrustant paints that are being produced still containheavy metalshighly toxic to the environment. Others contain agricultural pesticides, usually combining biocides in the composition.
Importance of living indicators
From the TBT research line, our laboratory contributed to introducing and consolidating the use ofliving organisms as tools to assess environmental quality(bioindication method). They are used to map critical areas in detail. This approach requires a much lower cost than if they were analyzed chemically at all monitoring stations.
In parallel,we have developed non-destructive techniques for bioindicators and bioassaysthat allow us to obtain information without sacrificing the lives of the studied organisms. Currently, we are seeking to improve these methods to assess, in a non-lethal way, the development of sea urchin embryos, a project in development.
Not always are their effects easy to detect, as they include not only acute impacts (such as death or immediate damage), but also chronic consequences that manifest over time. The work of identifying impairments in the movement, breathing, or reproduction of organisms is much more extensive and time-consuming.
In addition to affecting individuals, contamination can also alter the composition of communities. The distribution of populations of organisms in different ecosystems is regulated by the chemical parameters that determine the survival conditions for each species. Often, resistance to contaminants will determine who survives or does not in each exposed community. This is an artificial selection, or one artificially mediated by pollution. It is very different from natural selection, which prevails in communities less exposed to human actions.
The situation is even more complex because the substances interact with each other, in what is known as the "Cocktail Effect. Isso pode resultar em efeitos sinérgicos muito maiores do que se fossem aplicados isoladamente. E, na grande maioria dos casos, a situação isolada não existe no ambiente.
A matter of scientific and social policy
In order for Ecotoxicology to contribute to changing this situation, it is necessary to have the ability to produce knowledge. However, even 64 years after Rachel Carson's book, the field still does not have the necessary prominence in national science. The funding agencies still use the term "invisible" – and everyone loses with that.
In order for Ecotoxicology to be included among the knowledge areas of the agencies, it is necessary to create a Specific Advisory Committee in this field by CAPES. This situation occurs despite the existence of several established and mobilized research groups in the field.
An example is theINCT TerrEcotox, focused on research on agrochemicals and terrestrial ecotoxicology, and created in 2023 at the Federal University of Tocantins (UFT). There is also a Working Group of the Southeast of the Brazilian Society of Ecotoxicology (Ecotox Brasil). Currently, the group seeks to create a multi-institutional Postgraduate Program in the area.
However, the legislation is largely outdated. It is urgent to ensure that the country has the scientific capacity to identify, monitor, and prevent the effects of substances that reach the environment, affecting organisms and the population. In addition, these concepts need to reach basic education and society. After all, pollution is linked to both production and consumption. It is everywhere, from morning coffee to the waste we discard improperly.
Our group has been working in this direction through theEcotoxicology Project in Extension (see at @martoxlab.uerj)that brings the topic to audiences ranging from early childhood education to higher education. We also producescientific divulgation textsaimed atchildrenBut it is necessary to multiply these opportunities for the dissemination of knowledge.
In 2028, in Búzios, in Rio de Janeiro, we will have the 19th edition ofECOTOX, the National Congress of Ecotoxicology. Organized by leading researchers, the event can help bring researchers, students, teachers, public policy makers and society together. For us, it is another opportunity to expand the dissemination of this knowledge. The challenges are complex, but we believe that the strengthening of Ecotoxicology depends on our persistence. Understanding how pollution affects life is our way of protecting the environment, people, and our common future.
The publication of this article was supported byCoordination for Postgraduate Improvement (Capes).
Marcos Antônio dos Santos Fernandez received funding over the years from Faperj, CNPq, Finep, and a researcher grant from the Prociência program of the UERJ.
Helena Souza Foti receives funding from the Innovation Department of the UERJ (InovUerj).