Comparative toxicity and bioaccumulation of fenvalerate and esfenvalerate to earthworm Eisenia fetida

More attention is being paid to the enantioselective toxicity of chiral pesticides. However, limited investigations have been done to assess the ecological risks of chiral pesticides to soil community. Fenvalerate (FV), an extensively used synthetic pyrethroid, is a typical chiral pesticide. The most insecticidally active enantiomer of FV, esfenvalerate (ESFV), also has been marketed and widely used. In this study, the toxicological sensitivity and bioaccumulation of FV and ESFV in earthworms were assessed. The results showed that FV was less toxic than ESFV, but more accumulated in earthworms. ESFV was at least 4 times more toxic to earthworms than FV according to the filter paper contact toxicity test and the artificial soil test. Enantiospecific induction in oxidative stress was observed in earthworms exposed to FV and ESFV. The bioaccumulation of FV and ESFV in earthworm tissues was also enantioselective, preferentially accumulating FV. The uptake of ESFV by earthworms was lower than that of FV, so that the biota to soil accumulation factor (BSAF) value of ESFV was lower than that of FV. Our findings suggest that the enantioselective toxicity and bioaccumulation of chiral pesticides should be considered for evaluating ecological risks of these compounds to non-target organisms.