Acute toxicity of 54 industrial chemicals to sheepshead minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus)
Toxicity tests were conducted with sheepshead minnows to develop a data base from which water quality criteria could be established and to help determine priorites for further reseach efforts. Chemicals were generally those used by industry in relatively large quantities that pose potential or suspected environmental hazards, such as, chlorinated benzenes, phenols, and phthalates. The acute toxicity of the 54 chemicals varied widely. The most toxic chemical groups were the chlorinated phenols and the chlorinated benzenes with 96-h LC50's (based on nominal concentrations) ranging from 1.7-5.4 ppm and 0.8-21 ppm, respectively. The most toxic chemical tested appeared to be 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene with a 96-h LC50 of 0.8 ppm (95% confidence limits of 0.7-1.1 ppm). The 96-h LC50 for pentachlorobenzene was the same (0.8 ppm; 95% confidence limits of 0.4-1.8 ppm), but its effect early in the exposure was not as severe as the effect of 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene. The majority of the chemicals had 96-h LC50's in the range of 10-500 ppm and were considered to be slightly toxic to practically nontoxic. Ten of the chemicals had no apparent effect at highest concentrations tested. (JMT)
- Research Organization:
- Marine Research Lab., Pensacola, FL
- OSTI ID:
- 5731896
- Journal Information:
- Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.; (United States), Vol. 27:5
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
BENZENE
TOXICITY
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
PHENOLS
PHTHALATES
DATA ANALYSIS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FISHES
MORTALITY
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
AROMATICS
CARBOXYLIC ACID SALTS
DATA
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
VERTEBRATES
560305* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Vertebrates- (-1987)
520200 - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)