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Survival, reproductive, and growth responses in fish to creosote exposure in aquatic mesocosms

Conference ·
OSTI ID:218425
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Univ. of Guelph, Ontario (Canada). Centre for Toxicology
Creosote is a coal tar distillate, consisting mainly of a mixture of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Its widespread use as a wood preservative presents a potential risk to aquatic ecosystems. The use of mesocosms (precolonized with zooplankton, phytoplankton, macroinvertebrates, and periphyton) enabled evaluation of the total impact of creosote exposure, resulting from both direct toxic effects and indirect community-level interactions. Two methods of creosote addition were used, resulting in two series of mesocosm exposures: sixteen ponds were dosed with liquid creosote (from 0 to 100 ppm), and eight were dosed using creosote impregnated pilings (0 to 6 pilings per pond). In addition to growth and survival in two species of fish, Carassius auratus and Pimephales promelas, a number of reproductive parameters were measured (reproductive hormones, egg production, hatching success, and weight/frequency distribution of juveniles).
OSTI ID:
218425
Report Number(s):
CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English