Mytilidae as model organisms in the marine ecotoxicology of pharmaceuticals - A review

Growing production and consumption of pharmaceuticals is a global problem. Due to insufficient data on the concentration and distribution of pharmaceuticals in the marine environment, there are no appropriate legal regulations concerning their emission. In order to understand all aspects of the fate of pharmaceuticals in the marine environment and their effect on marine biota, it is necessary to find the most appropriate model organism for this purpose. This paper presents an overview of the ecotoxicological studies of pharmaceuticals, regarding the assessment of Mytilidae as suitable organisms for biomonitoring programs and toxicity tests. The use of mussels in the monitoring of pharmaceuticals allows the observation of changes in the concentration and distribution of these compounds. This in turn gives valuable information on the amount of pharmaceutical pollutants released into the environment in different areas. In this context, information necessary for the assessment of risks related to pharmaceuticals in the marine environment are provided based on what effective management procedures can be developed. However, the accumulation capacity of individual Mytilidae species, the bioavailability of pharmaceuticals and their biological effects should be further scrutinized. [Display omitted] •Well-known physiology of mussels enables to assess the toxicity of pharmaceuticals.•The use of mussels can improve research of pharmaceuticals in marine environment.•Mytilidae are suitable for both biomonitoring and laboratory studies.•Different Mytilidae species may have different bioaccumulation capacity.•There is a need for further studies on pharmacokinetic in mussels. The involvement of Mytilidae mussels in pharmaceutical pollution research can reduce scientific uncertainty related to their biological effect, improve knowledge on the fate of these emerging contaminants in the marine environment and provide necessary information for environmental risk assessment and management.