Antioxidant status and Na(+), K (+)-ATPase activity in freshwater fish Carassius auratus exposed to different combustion products of Nafion 117 membrane: an integrated biomarker approach.

Nafion 117 membrane (N117), an important polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM), has been widely applied in numerous chemical technologies. Its increasing production and utilization will inevitably lead to the problem of waste disposal, with incineration as an important method. However, toxicity data of its combustion products on aquatic organisms have been seldom reported. The present study was therefore conducted to investigate the antioxidant response and Na(+), K(+)-ATPase activity in liver of Carassius auratus exposed to different combustion products of N117 for 5, 15, and 30 days. The concentrations of fluorine ion (F(-)) in the aquaria among the exposure durations were analyzed using the ion chromatography system. The results showed that these treatments have the capability to induce oxidative stress and suppress Na(+), K(+)-ATPase activity, as indicated by some significant alterations on these measured toxicity end-points in fish liver. According to the integrated biomarker response (IBR) index, the toxicity intensity of these experimental treatments was tentatively ranked. Taken together, these observations provided some preliminary data on the potential toxicity of the combustion products of N117 on aquatic organisms and could fill the information gaps in the toxicity database of the current-use PEM.