Genotoxicity Signatures near Brine Outflows from Desalination Plants in the Levant

(1) Background: Desalination is a developing industry that keeps expanding, nowadays counting >15,000 infrastructures worldwide. A byproduct of the desalination process is concentrated brine, further containing operational chemicals, including antiscalants and coagulants. Yet, the potential genotoxic impacts of the inclusive brine are inadequately studied. (2) Methods: In vitro and in vivo assays were used to test the impacts of a representative antiscalant and a coagulant. The model cnidarian Nematostella vectensis was employed to assess the impacts of the tested pollutants on animal longevity. Additionally, the genotoxicity of seawater sampled near four desalination plants was tested using the comet assay. (3) Results: In vitro analyses of the antiscalant and coagulant revealed neither genotoxic nor cytotoxic effects at environmentally relevant concentrations, but they were destructive to whole organisms (N. vectensis) at various developmental stages. Part of the seawater samples from sites near desalination plants were genotoxic, revealing ephemeral and mosaic genotoxicity. Since desalination plants are situated in highly anthropogenic-impacted areas, it is impossible at this stage to evaluate the possible contribution of the brine to overall marine genotoxicity. (4) Conclusions: Exact desalination-associated chemicals and the brine itself should be evaluated directly for potential genotoxicity.