Dihalogenated nitrophenols in drinking water: Prevalence, resistance to household treatment, and cardiotoxic impact on zebrafish embryo

Dihalogenated nitrophenols (2,6-DHNPs), an emerging group of aromatic disinfection byproducts (DBPs) detected in drinking water, have limited available information regarding their persistence and toxicological risks. The present study found that 2,6-DHNPs are resistant to major drinking water treatment processes (sedimentation and filtration) and households methods (boiling, filtration, microwave irradiation, and ultrasonic cleaning). To further assess their health risks, we conducted a series of toxicology studies using zebrafish embryos as the model organism. Our findings reveal that these emerging 2,6-DHNPs showed lethal toxicity 248 times greater than that of the regulated DBP, dichloroacetic acid. Specifically, at sublethal concentrations, exposure to 2,6-DHNPs generated reactive oxygen species (ROS), caused apoptosis, inhibited cardiac looping, and induced cardiac failure in zebrafish. Remarkably, the use of a ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-l-cysteine, considerably mitigated these adverse effects, emphasizing the essential role of ROS in 2,6-DHNP-induced cardiotoxicity. Our findings highlight the cardiotoxic potential of 2,6-DHNPs in drinking water even at low concentrations of 19 μg/L and the beneficial effect of N-acetyl-l-cysteine in alleviating the 2,6-DHNP-induced cardiotoxicity. This study underscores the urgent need for increased scrutiny of these emerging compounds in public health discussions.