US EPA

1486051 

Journal Article 

Acute lethal toxicity of hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocarbons to two planktonic crustaceans: The key role of organism-water partitioning 

Abernethy, S; Bobra, AM; Shiu, WY; Wells, PG; Mackay, D 

1986 

Yes 

Aquatic Toxicology
ISSN: 0166-445X
EISSN: 1879-1514 

8 

3 

163-174 

English 

10.1016/0166-445X(86)90062-7 

The acute toxicities of 38 hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocarbons were determined for two planktonic crustaceans, freshwater Daphnia magna and saltwater Artemia. In both cases median lethal concentrations (LC50 values) at 48 h and 24 h, respectively, were strongly correlated with aqueous solubility, there being little direct dependence on chemical structure. In the case of solid chemicals, it is suggested that the appropriate correlating solubility is that of the subcooled liquid chemical, not that of the solid. Many solids constrained by low water solubility are thus unable to achieve dissolved concentrations sufficient to cause acute toxicity to the test organisms. It is hypothesised that acute toxicity is non-selective and is controlled by organism-water partitioning so that each hydrocarbon group may contribute equally to toxicity and no single group of hydrocarbons is the dominant toxicant.

The partitioning characteristics are expressed in two mathematical models which relate the LC50 to the chemical properties of solubility and molar volume. 

MATHEMATICS; STATISTICS; BIOLOGY; ECOLOGY; OCEANOGRAPHY; FRESH WATER; BIOCHEMISTRY/METHODS; BIOCHEMISTRY; BIOPHYSICS; MACROMOLECULAR SYSTEMS; MOLECULAR BIOLOGY; CYBERNETICS; NECROSIS/PATHOLOGY; ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS/POISONING; OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES; AIR POLLUTION; SOIL POLLUTANTS; WATER POLLUTION; ANATOMY, COMPARATIVE; CRUSTACEA; PHYSIOLOGY, COMPARATIVE; PATHOLOGY; Mathematical Biology and Statistical Methods; Biochemical Methods-General; Biochemical Studies-General; Biophysics-Molecular Properties and Macromolecules; Biophysics-Biocybernetics (1972- ); Toxicology-Environmental and Industrial Toxicology; Public Health: Environmental Health-Air; Invertebrata; Branchiopoda; 779-02-2; 634-90-2; 608-93-5; 287-92-3; 129-00-0; 124-18-5; 120-12-7; 118-74-1; 111-65-9; 110-82-7; 110-54-3; 109-66-0; 108-90-7; 108-88-3; 108-87-2; 108-67-8; 108-38-3; 106-46-7; 106-42-3; 100-41-4; 98-82-8; 95-93-2; 95-63-6; 95-50-1; 95-47-6; 92-52-4; 91-58-7; 91-57-6; 91-20-3; 90-13-1; 90-12-0; 87-61-6; 85-01-8; 79-01-6; 75-09-2; 71-55-6; 71-43-2; 67-66-3