Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)


Print Feedback Export to File
93660 
Technical Report 
The aquatic toxicity of organic compounds to embryo-larval stages of fish and amphibians 
Black, JA; Birge, WJ; Mcdonnell, WE; Westerman, AG; Ramey, BA; Bruser, DM 
1982 
Yes 
University of Kentucky. Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute 
Lexington, KY 
KWRRI Research Report No. 133 
61 
English 
Abstract: Aquatic toxicity tests were conducted on 11 organic compounds considered hazardous to water resources. The toxicity of each compound was evaluated using embryo-larval stages of up to eight fish and amphibian species. Exposure was initiated at fertilization and maintained through 4 days posthatching. The animal test species exhibited varying degrees of sensitivity to the selected toxicants. Combined frequencies for mortality and teratogenesis at 4 days posthatching gave LC-50 ranges of 3.66 to 8.25 mg/L for benzene, 1.16 to 22.42 mg/L for carbon tetrachloride, 0.11 to 1.20 mg/L for chlorogenzene, 2.03 to 68 mg/L for chlorogrorm, 3.01 to 5.56 mg/L for 1,2 dichlorobenzene, 2.54 to 34 mg/L for 1,2 dichloroethane, 13.16 to 48 mg/L for methylene chloride, 0.002 to 0.64 mg/L for nitrobenzene, 0.04 to 32 mg/L for phenol, 0.02 to 0.85 mg/L for toluene, and 3.53 to 3.77 mg/L for m-xylene. The species which exhibited the greatest susceptibility to organic compounds were the rainbow trout, Rana pipiens, and Rana temporaria. The more sensitive amphibian species generally were those which normally are restricted to aquatic or moist terrestrial habitats, whereas the more tolerant amphibians included those semi-aquatic and terrestrial species which appear to be more broadly adapted ecologically. Of the 11 test compounds, nitrobenzene, toluene, chlorobenzene, and phenol were the most toxic. The least toxic organics included dicloroethane and methylene chloride. For three chlorinated alkanes, including methylene chloride, chloroform, and carbin tetrachloride toxicity was found to increase with the degree of chlorination. ds: Water Resources Abstracts pdated - 2011-12-14 e field[29]: CCL4 
fish; carbon tetrachloride; chlorobenzene; Health & Safety Science Abstracts; Pollution Abstracts; toxicity; ecology; teratogenesis; embryos; Rana temporaria; Rana pipiens; benzene; mortality; toluene; P 2000:FRESHWATER POLLUTION; H SG0:MONOGRAPHS, CONFERENCES, SYMPOSIA, DICTIONARIES,ENCYCLOPEDIA, BIBLIOGRAPHIES; H SE4.20:POISONS AND POISONING; P 6000:TOXICOLOGY AND HEALTH