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Title: Lethal body burdens of chlorophenols and mixtures of chlorophenols in an oligochaete worm, Lumbriculus variegatus

Conference ·
OSTI ID:442877
 [1]
  1. Univ. of Joensuu (Finland). Dept. of Biology

The lethal body burdens (LBB) of a few chlorophenol congeners were measured in the oligochaete worm, Lumbriculus variegatus. LBB is defined as the concentration of the compound in the organism on molar basis to cause a death. Groups of 40 organisms were exposed to different chlorophenol concentrations in artificial soft freshwater to achieve differential mortality. Exposure times were either 24 hours or 48 hours. Besides exposures with individual congener, mixtures of chlorophenols were also tested. After each exposure, the surviving organisms were collected and the body burden of chlorophenols were measured by GC with electron capture detection. Only the surviving organisms were analyzed, because dead worms started to decay rather quickly. The analyzed tissue concentrations were actually lower than in surviving organisms. The trichlorophenols and pentachlorophenol have a LBB of 0.4--0.7 {micro}mol/g wet weight. The 2,6-dichlorophenol has a slightly higher LBB of 1.0--1.6 {micro}mol/g wet weight. The LBB of chlorophenol mixtures (two congeners at a time) were of the same, on molar basis, as individual congeners demonstrating fully additive toxicity. The lethal body burdens of 2,4,5-trichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol in Lumbriculus variegatus were the same for these water-only exposures as previously reported for these compounds in two different sediments. The use of lethal body burden approach in sediment toxicology is further discussed.

OSTI ID:
442877
Report Number(s):
CONF-961149-; TRN: IM9712%%302
Resource Relation:
Conference: 17. annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry: partnerships for the environment - science, education, and policy, Washington, DC (United States), 17-21 Nov 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of SETAC 17. annual meeting -- Abstract book. Partnerships for the environment: Science, education, and policy; PB: 378 p.
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English