Marine Complex Effluent Toxicity Program: Test sensitivity, repeatability and relevance to receiving water toxicity

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:7045862

Schimmel, S C; Morrison, G E; Heber, M A

In March 1984, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a significant change in procedures regulating toxic materials in effluents through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Concurrent with this toxicity-based effluent control policy, the EPA established the marine/estuarine component of the Complex Effluent Toxicity Testing Program (CETTP). The CETTP was established to provide reliable, sensitive and environmentally meaningful test protocols that could be used to detect toxic industrial and municipal effluents within the NPDES. Five toxicity test methods have been developed and validated for the program since 1984 using a marine plant (Champia parvula), two invertebrate species (Arbacia punctulata and Mysidopsis bahia) and two fish species (Cyprinodon variegatus and Menidia beryllina). The laboratory precision test results for the methods were acceptable; coefficients of variation for all methods were less than 54%, averaging 34%. Numerous field tests were conducted using these methods and the results indicate that tests on receiving waters (in which effluent concentrations could be estimated through controlled dye studies) accurately reflect the toxicity of the effluents measured directly. Receiving water impacts, when observed, were generally near-field in nature.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Narragansett, RI (USA). Environmental Research Lab.
• OSTI ID: 7045862
• Report Number(s): PB-90-196643/XAB; EPA--600/J-89/263
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BIOASSAY
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
CHEMICAL EFFLUENTS
CONTROL
ESTUARIES
FISHES
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
INVERTEBRATES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
PLANTS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL
SENSITIVITY
SURFACE WATERS
TOXICITY
US EPA
US ORGANIZATIONS
VERTEBRATES
WASTES
WATER POLLUTION
WATER POLLUTION CONTROL