Toxicological studies on aquatic contaminants originating from coal production and utilization: the induction of tolerance to silver in laboratory populations of fish and the chronic toxicity of nickel to fish early-life stages. Research report July 1983-August 1984

Technical Report · Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1984

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5207327· OSTI ID:5207327

Birge, Wesley J.; Black, Jeffrey A.; Hobson, James F.; Westerman, Albert G.; Short, Terry M.

Aquatic toxicity studies were performed on two important coal-derived contaminants, silver and nickel. Silver was investigated with regard to metal-induced tolerance in laboratory populations of the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). Fish were exposed to acute silver concentrations following acclimation to sublethal exposures of this metal. Based on median lethal times (LT50), animals receiving 14 days prior exposure to 1.5 and 15 micrograms Ag/l were three to four times more resistant to silver than were previously unexposed organisms. The metal-induced resistance was not a sustained response. After organisms that had been acclimated to 15 micrograms/l had been transferred to clean water for two weeks, LT50 values determined with these animals were statistically indistinguishable from those calculated with non-acclimated control fish. With respect to nickel, a 32-day continuous-flow test was performed with the fathead minnow. Nickel was administered in duplicate at six exposure concentrations ranging from 0.038 to 0.733 mg/l in medium-hard water (100 mg CaCO3/l).

• Research Organization: Kentucky Water Resources Research Inst., Lexington, KY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Interior
• DOE Contract Number: G-844-02
• OSTI ID: 5207327
• Report Number(s): PB-85-214666/XAB; RR-151
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
COAL MINING
POLLUTANTS
FISHES
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
NICKEL
TOXICITY
SILVER
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ELEMENTS
MATERIALS
METALS
MINING
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
VERTEBRATES
010900* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Environmental Aspects
520200 - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)