Status and applications of echinoid (phylum echinodermata) toxicity test methods
The use of echinoderms for toxicity testing has focused primarily on sea urchins and sand dollars (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, Arbacia punctulata, Lytechinus pictus, and Dendraster excentricus, for example). The status and relative sensitivity of various test methods are described. The most frequently used test methods consist of short-term exposures of sea urchin sperm or embryos; these tests can be easily conducted at all times of the year by using species with complementary spawning cycles or laboratory conditioned populations of a single species. Data from reference toxicant and effluent toxicity tests are summarized. Information on the precision and sensitivity of echinoid test methods are limited and preclude rigorous comparisons with other test methods. The available data indicate that the sensitivity and precision of these methods are comparable to short-term chronic methods for other marine invertebrates and fish. Recent application of the sperm test in toxicity identification evaluations (TIEs) and studies of effluent toxicity decay and sediment toxicity illustrate the versatility of this rapid (10 to 60 min exposure) test method. Embryo tests typically use a 48 to 96 h exposure period and measure the occurrence of embryo malformations. Most recent applications of the embryo test have been for the assessment of sediment elutriate toxicity. Adult echinoderms are not frequently used to assess effluent or receiving water toxicity. Recent studies have had success in using the adult life stage of urchins and sand dollars to assess the effects of contaminated sediment on growth, behavior, and bioaccumulation.
- Research Organization:
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority, Long Beach, CA (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 6238174
- Report Number(s):
- PB-93-185825/XAB; CNN: EPA-68-C1-0005
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Pub. in Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment, 281-302(1993)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ECHINODERMS
TESTING
SEDIMENTS
TOXICITY
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
BIOLOGY
CHEMICAL EFFLUENTS
CONTAMINATION
DECOMPOSITION
DOLLARS
EGGS
EMBRYOS
FERTILIZATION
FISHES
GROWTH
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
INFORMATION NEEDS
INVERTEBRATES
MALFORMATIONS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
POPULATIONS
REPRODUCTION
SAND
SEA URCHINS
SENSITIVITY
SPERMATOZOA
TOXIC MATERIALS
WATER
WATER POLLUTION
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BENTHOS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL WASTES
GAMETES
GERM CELLS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
NONRADIOACTIVE WASTES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
POLLUTION
REACTIVITY UNITS
UNITS
VERTEBRATES
WASTES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology