Chemical exposure

In the marine environment, organisms are exposed to a range of substances. These can cause metabolic disorders and increase disease prevalence. They may even affect entire populations of marine biota by changes in, e.g., growth, reproduction, or survival. From field investigations and lab experiments, it is known that exposed organisms take up explosive chemicals from the surrounding water. Samples of biota are analysed for biological effects on different organismal levels using multi-biomarker and molecular approaches. Measured effects are correlated with the detected level of explosives and their metabolites in the respective tissue, as well as with the concentrations of these compounds in the surrounding water and sediment.