Use of Brine Shrimp (Artemia) In Dispersant Toxicity Tests: Some Caveats1

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 327-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita George-Ares ◽  
Eric J. Febbo ◽  
Daniel J. Letinski ◽  
Joseph Yarusinsky ◽  
Regina S. Safadi ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Several Latin American countries currently use Artemia to evaluate the aquatic toxicity of dispersants. Test methods used to evaluate dispersant toxicity to Artemia are not uniform. The study reported here demonstrates how varying Artemia test conditions can significantly affect toxicity results for the dispersant Corexit® 9500. The type of seawater used in Artemia toxicity tests affects 48 hour LC50 values for Corexit 9500 (lethal concentration for 50% of test organisms). Nominal LC50 values ranged from 35 to 147 ppm when natural seawater was used. Nominal LC50 values ranged from 29 to 39 ppm when a synthetic seawater prepared from Crystal Sea® Marinemix was used. Greater toxicity was observed when synthetic (reconstituted) seawater was prepared according to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA, 1987) Artemia dispersant test guideline. Observed nominal LC50 values ranged from 8.4 to 14 ppm. Age of the Artemia nauplii is another test variable that can significantly affect toxicity results. The 48 hour nauplii showed greater toxicity to Corexit 9500 than 24 hour old nauplii. In tests using two types of synthetic seawater (Coral Reef Red Sea Salt® and Crystal Sea® Marinemix at 20 °C, 20 ppt salinity), nominal LC50 values ranged from 29 to 68 ppm for 24 hour old nauplii; 48 hour old nauplii had LC50 values ranging from 9 to 27 ppm. Greater toxicity was also observed in 48 hour nauplii under different salinity and temperature (Red Sea, 25 °C, 33 to 35 ppt salinity). The LC50 values were 33 and 1.6 ppm for 24 and 48 hour nauplii respectively.

ZooKeys ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 801 ◽  
pp. 127-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelis A.M. van Gestel ◽  
Susana Loureiro ◽  
Promoz Zidar

Isopods play an important role in the decomposition of leaf litter and therefore are making a significant contribution to nutrient cycling and soil ecosystem services. As a consequence, isopods are relevant models in soil ecotoxicology, both in laboratory toxicity tests and in field monitoring and bioindication studies. This paper aims at reviewing the use of isopods as test organisms in soil ecotoxicology. It provides an overview of the use of isopods in laboratory toxicity tests, with special focus on comparing different exposure methods, test durations, and ecotoxicological endpoints. A brief overview of toxicity data suggests that chemicals are more toxic to isopods when exposed through soil compared to food. The potential of isopods to be used in bioindication and biomonitoring is discussed. Based on the overview of toxicity data and test methods, recommendations are given for the use of isopods in standardized laboratory toxicity tests as well as in situ monitoring studies.


1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. Servos

Abstract A review of the available information on the toxicity and bioaccumulation of alkyphenols (AP) and their polyethoxylates (APE) and polyethoxycarboxylates (APEC) was conducted in support of their assessment as Priority Substances under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. This included an examination of the acute and chronic toxicity of these compounds in a wide variety of aquatic organisms as well as an examination of their potential effects on endocrine function in fish and aquatic invertebrates. Although the data in the literature are scattered among many species, different test methods and chemicals, there is a consistent pattern in the toxicity. Nonylphenol (NP) and octylphenol (OP) are both acutely toxic to fish (17-3000 µg/L), invertebrates (20-3000 µg/L) and algae (27-2500 µg/L). In chronic toxicity tests no observable effect concentrations (NOEC) are as low as 6 mg/L in fish and 3.7 µg/L in invertebrates. There is an increase in the toxicity of both NPEs and OPEs with decreasing EO chain length. NPECs and OPECs are less toxic than corresponding APEs and have acute toxicities similar to APEs with 6-9 EO units. APs and APEs bind to the estrogen receptor resulting in the expression of several responses both in vitro and in vivo, including the induction of vitellogenin. The threshold for vitellogenin induction in fish is 10 µg/L for NP and 3 µg/L for OF. APEs also affect the growth of testes, alter normal steroid metabolism, disrupt smoltificaton and cause intersex (ova-testes) in fish. The available literature suggests that the ability of AP and APEs to bioaccumulate in aquatic biota in the environment is low to moderate, BCFs and BAFs in biota, including algae, plant, invertebrates and fish range from 0.9 to 3400. Although there are relatively few data available for OP or OPEs, their potential to bioaccumulate is expected to be similar to that of corresponding NP and NPEs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun Kyung Sohn ◽  
Seyed Ali Johari ◽  
Tae Gyu Kim ◽  
Jin Kwon Kim ◽  
Ellen Kim ◽  
...  

To better understand the potential ecotoxicological impact of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and silver nanowires (AgNWs) released into freshwater environments, the toxicities of these nanomaterials were assessed and compared using Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) test guidelines, including a “Daphniasp., acute immobilization test,” “Fish, acute toxicity test,” and “freshwater alga and cyanobacteria, growth inhibition test.” Based on the estimated median lethal/effective concentrations of AgNPs and AgNWs, the susceptibility to the nanomaterials was different among test organisms (daphnia > algae > fish), suggesting that the AgNPs are classified as “category acute 1” forDaphnia magna, “category acute 2” forOryzias latipes, and “category acute 1” forRaphidocelis subcapitata, while the AgNWs are classified as “category acute 1” forDaphnia magna, “category acute 2” forOryzias latipes, and “category acute 2” forRaphidocelis subcapitata, according to the GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals). In conclusion, the present results suggest that more attention should be paid to prevent the accidental or intentional release of silver nanomaterials into freshwater aquatic environments.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Robert Wheeler ◽  
Delina Lyon ◽  
Carolina di Paulo ◽  
Albania Grosso ◽  
Mark Crane

Abstract The use of the Water Accommodated Fraction (WAF) approach for the preparation of exposure systems of complex substances such as petroleum products has been a standard way to perform aquatic toxicity tests on these substances for over 30 years. In this Commentary we briefly describe the historical development, rationale, and guidance for the use and reporting of the WAF approach to assess complex substances. We then discuss two case studies, with coal tar pitch and kerosene/jet fuel, which illustrate challenges from regulatory authorities in Europe and the United States when using the WAF approach. We describe how the WAF approach is the only currently known method for testing the toxicity of the whole of a complex substance, even when some of its constituents remain unknown; it accounts for differences in the solubility of the constituents within a complex substance; and use of loading rates to describe any toxic effects is a unifying concept that allows direct comparison with releases of readily soluble substances in hazard assessment and chemical classification.


1975 ◽  
Vol 189 (1096) ◽  
pp. 459-477 ◽  

The laboratory estimation of the toxic effects of organic pollutants relies on successive investigations of increasing sensitivity. Acute toxicity tests are useful in providing an index of relative toxicity between compounds but are of limited value for making ecological predictions. Many factors can influence the assessment of acute toxicity, with chemical stability of the test solutions and the species of test organisms employed being perhaps the most important of these. Many sub-lethal tests are also of limited value because the importance of the measured response for the well-being of the animal community as a whole is not established. The basic requirements of sub-lethal techniques are discussed, especially in relation to compounds which may exert their toxic action through accumulation in the tissues in the long term. The possibility of relating the toxicity of a compound to its chemical structure is considered.


1996 ◽  
Vol 59 (7) ◽  
pp. 764-767 ◽  
Author(s):  
BARBARA A. BLAKISTONE ◽  
SCOTT W. KELLER ◽  
JOSEPH E. MARCY ◽  
GEORGE H. LACY ◽  
CAMERON R. HACKNEY ◽  
...  

Immersion biotesting has long been used to challenge packages, particularly cans, for pinholes and channel leaks. Such testing for all types of plastic packaging may not be appropriate because some packages (e.g., aseptic, hot fill) are not exposed to water. As the food-packaging industry develops alternative environmental biotests there is a need to benchmark them against traditional immersion testing. The purpose of this research was to examine the threshold of critical-defect dimensions using artifically created channel leaks of 10 and 20 μm and 5- and 10-mm lengths sealed into plastic pouches which were subsequently tested by immersion at 102 and 106 CFU of motile and nonmotile Pseudomonas fragi TM849 per ml. Forty-four percent (44%) of the pouches tested became contaminated, indicating the threshold defect value is below 10 μm. Microbial ingress was significant (P < .05) for motile test organisms with a concentration of 106 CFU/ml. The interaction of concentration and time was also significant at 102 CFU/ml at 30 min exposure and 106 CFU/ml at 15 min. Channel length was not statistically significant. The markedly greater contamination rate using immersion testing versus that of aerosol testing highlights the importance of using test methods that reflect environmental exposure conditions of the packages.


RSC Advances ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (108) ◽  
pp. 106847-106855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Zhou ◽  
Yanjun Fan ◽  
Xunhui Cai ◽  
Yan Xiang ◽  
Peng Jiang ◽  
...  

The environmental protection agency thinks that quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) analysis can better replace toxicity tests.


2013 ◽  
Vol 96 (4) ◽  
pp. 717-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria T Nelson ◽  
Robert A LaBudde ◽  
Stephen F Tomasino ◽  
Rebecca M Pines ◽  
M Bennett ◽  
...  

Abstract A multilaboratory study was conducted to determine the equivalence of the 3M™ Petrifilm™ Aerobic Count Plate and standard plating methodology for measuring viable bacteria and spores recovered from hard-surface carriers (stainless steel and porcelain), also known as "control carrier counts," used in AOAC antimicrobial efficacy test methods. Six laboratories participated in the study in which carriers inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, and spores of Bacillus subtilis were evaluated using 3M Petrifilm Aerobic Count (AC) plates and standard plating side-by-side. The data were analyzed using a matched-pair t-test to determine the between-method effect with confidence intervals. For all test organisms pooled across all laboratories, the mean difference in log10 concentration between the standard plate count method and 3M Petrifilm AC Plates was −0.012, with a 95% confidence interval of (−0.090, +0.066), which was well within the −0.5, +0.5 interval established as the acceptance criterion. The between-carrier SD averaged 0.139; the between-replicate SD was 0.050. The carrier reproducibility, given that a single replicate per carrier is done, was estimated to be 0.148. Although differences were seen in the final concentrations of the test organisms among laboratories, there were no statistical differences between the enumeration methods. Based on the results from this study, 3M Petrifilm AC Plates are equivalent to standard plating methodology and can be used as an alternative procedure for the enumeration of test organisms used in AOAC Methods 955.14, 955.15, 964.02, and 966.04.


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