Toxicity of trihalomethanes to common carp embryos
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN
Trihalomethanes recently have been identified in real and simulated effluents from power plants where chlorine is used for biofouling control. Toxicity of the four chlorine- or bromine-containing trihalomethanes (chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform) to developing common carp (Cyprinus carpio) embryos was determined under conditions of intermittent (8-hour) toxicant renewal, based on percent hatch as the end point. Nominal median lethal concentrations (LC50) ranged from 161 mg/liter for chloroform to 53 mg/liter for dibromochloromethane. Decay studies conducted under conditions similar to those used for the toxicity studies, but in distilled water, indicated that (1) half-lives of the trihalomethanes ranged from 4.4 to 6.9 hours; (2) decay was due primarily to volatilization; (3) higher relative toxicity of dibromochloromethane probably was due to formation of a degradation product (likely Br/sub 2/). Correction of the nominal LC50 values to time-weighted mean concentrations over the period between toxicant changes gave weighted LC50 values of 97.2, 67.4, 33.5, and 52.3 mg/liter for chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform, respectively. In addition, the period of water-hardening of fertilized eggs was not critical for expression of toxicity of dibromochloromethane. Comparison of these and other published data on effluent and toxic concentrations, persistence, and bioaccumulation of water-chlorination products suggests that trihalomethanes are not as environmentally critical as other chlorinated organic compounds or residual chlorine.
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- OSTI ID:
- 6495671
- Journal Information:
- Trans. Am. Fish. Soc.; (United States), Journal Name: Trans. Am. Fish. Soc.; (United States) Vol. 110:2; ISSN TAFSA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
200200 -- Fossil-Fueled Power Plants-- Waste Management
560305* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Vertebrates-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACUTE EXPOSURE
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
DATA
DOSES
EMBRYOS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FISHES
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
INFORMATION
LETHAL DOSES
MORTALITY
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
TOXICITY
VERTEBRATES