Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Ecotoxicological assessment of aquatic sediments with Caenorhabditis elegans (Nematoda) -- A method for testing liquid medium and whole-sediment samples

Journal Article · · Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
; ; ;  [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Univ. Muenchen (Germany). Zoologisches Inst.
  2. TU Hamburg-Harburg, Hamburg (Germany)
  3. Inst. fuer Gewaesseroekologie und Binnenfischerei, Berlin (Germany)
The authors present a method using the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to assess toxicity in liquid medium and whole-sediment setups. Test duration is 72 h; endpoints are body length, number of eggs inside worms, percentage of gravid worms, and number of offspring per worm. The effect of CdCl{sub 2} on C. elegans in liquid-phase exposures is described as an example. Results from a field study with cadmium polluted sediments from the River Elbe (Germany) suggest that nematodes may be useful organisms in assessing toxicity of sediments in the whole phase.
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
OSTI ID:
474325
Journal Information:
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Journal Name: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 16; ISSN ETOCDK; ISSN 0730-7268
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English