On Monday, May 6th, experts and stakeholders from around the world gathered at the 34th Annual SETAC Europe Meeting. Among the presentations, Núria de Castro’s session stood out, titled “The tire rubber-derived contaminant 6-PPD-quinone and increased temperatures: too much for the freshwater snail Radix balthica”.

In this study, negative sublethal effects of the exposure to 10.5 µg/L of 6PPD-quinone on reproduction, growth and motility were observed. Toxicant concentration was analysed in collaboration with Isabel Cadena (ICRA). The effects of the exposure to this antioxidant were accentuated by increased temperatures (20ºC vs 15ºC).

In addition, negative sublethal effects of the increased temperature on embryo development were also observed: decreased hatching success, increased number of non-developed embryos, and embryo malformations.

Núria stressed out the importance of considering the interaction between stressors, such as temperature and contaminants. In this case, the increase in temperatures expected under the climate change scenario (e.g. abrupt temperature changes related with heat waves) may worsen the negative effects of the contaminant and compromise the survival of the snail Radix balthica populations in polluted aquatic systems.