Chemosphere 2025 Aug 04;383:144487. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144487.

Lithium toxicity to marine organisms: Establishing water quality guideline values to protect temperate and tropical marine life.

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The lack of chronic lithium (Li) toxicity data for marine organisms has prevented the establishment of numerical Li water quality benchmarks (e.g., guideline values) to protect marine life and assess ecological risk. This study evaluated chronic Li toxicity in 30 diverse marine species (22 phyla across five trophic levels) from temperate and tropical locations, using no (significant) effect concentrations (N(S)EC), 10 % effect concentrations (EC10) and median effect concentrations (EC50)) as metrics. Eucaryotic species with calcifying life stages were generally the most sensitive to Li, whereas procaryotic species were the least sensitive. Macrophiothrix caenosa (brittle star) was the most sensitive species, with N(S)EC, EC10 and EC50 values of 0.66 mg/L, 0.99 mg/L and 3.29 mg/L, respectively. The EC10 is only 5-6 times higher than the natural Li baseline concentration in coastal seawater (0.18 mg/L). In contrast, Cyanobium sp. (cyanobacteria) was the least sensitive, with corresponding values of 93.0 mg/L, 121 mg/L and 459 mg/L. Lithium sensitivity differed by as much as 140-fold across the species tested, with no significant difference (p > 0.05) between those from temperate and tropical locations. Free Li ions (Li+), which readily bind to cell receptors, comprised ∼83 % of dissolved Li across the range of N(S)EC, EC10 and EC50 values. A weighted-average species sensitivity distribution was used to establish Li water quality guideline values (WQGVs) to protect marine life (e.g., 1.21 mg/L for 95 % species protection). These new WQGVs will improve Li risk assessment in coastal marine waters, especially as Li emerges as a contaminant of concern.

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