Long‐term exposure to bis(2‐ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) inhibits growth of guppy fish (Poecilia reticulata)

Abstract Bis(2‐ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is a widely used plasticizer that is a commonly found contaminant of aquatic environments. However, little is known about the long‐term effects of DEHP on fish development, as previous studies yielded conflicting results and mostly investigated the effects of concentrations higher than those found in natural habitats. We thus aimed to investigate the effects of DHEP (i) at concentrations present in the environment, and (ii) under conditions that might accentuate any deleterious consequences (larvae rather than adult fish, use of higher temperature). Different concentrations of DEHP (0.1–10 µg l −1 rpar; applied continuously for 91 days were tested on guppy fish that were less than one week old at the beginning of the treatment. As early as 14 days after the start of exposure, guppies treated with 10 µg l −1 DEHP showed significantly reduced body length as compared with control fish. The inhibitory effect of DEHP was concentration‐dependent and increased with time, leading to a maximal reduction in body length of 15 and 40% at 1 and 10 µg l −1 DEHP, respectively. The effect was even more pronounced for body weight, which was diminished by up to 40 and 70% at 1 and 10 µg l −1 DEHP, respectively. The reduction in growth was still significant at 91 days of DEHP treatment, whereas the Fulton's condition factor was unaffected. While DEHP significantly blocked growth in both male and female guppies, no shift in the sexual development was observed. These data show that DEHP, at concentrations present in aquatic environments, can profoundly affect development in fish. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.