Risk of ammonia toxicity to the estuarine amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus during sediment toxicity tests
- USACE Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS (United States)
- AScI Corp., Vicksburg, MS (United States)
High levels of ammonia in sediment toxicity tests can potentially confound test results. At issue is whether the toxicity observed is due to elevated ammonia or the presence of contaminants. To evaluate the risk of ammonia toxicity, information on (1) the probability of exposure and (2) the exposure response relationship are needed. In this study the no observable effect concentration (NOEC) for ammonia was determined in both acute and chronic exposures to ammonia spiked sediments. A clean sediment was spiked with ammonium chloride to achieve porewater ammonia concentrations encompassing natural levels and those shown to produce toxicity in the water-only exposures with L. plumulosus. Two separate tests were conducted: (1) a 10-day exposure starting with juveniles and measuring survival; (2) a 28-day exposure starting with 0-72H old neonates and measuring survival, growth, and reproduction. Risk of ammonia toxicity to L. plumulosus during sediment toxicity tests was established by comparing both acute and chronic NOECs to published porewater ammonia concentrations for field collected sediments.
- OSTI ID:
- 49529
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9410273--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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