James T. Fiandt

Toxic effects of cadmium on three generations of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

Abstract Three generations of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were exposed to several concentrations of total cadmium (0.06–6.4 μg Cd/liter). Significant numbers of first- and second-generation adult males died during spawning at 3.4 μg Cd/liter. This concentration also significantly retarded growth of juvenile second- and third-generation offspring. The maximum acceptable toxicant concentration (MATC) for brook trout exposed to cadmium in Lake Superior water (hardness 44 mg/liter as CaCO 3, pH 7–8) lies between 1.7 and 3.4 μg Cd/liter. Cadmium-residue analyses of kidney, liver, gill, gonad, spleen, muscle, and red blood cells frown first- and second- generation trout indicated that kidney, liver, and gill tissue accumulated the greatest amounts of cadmium at each water exposure concentration. No significant increases in cadmium were measured in edible muscle at any of the cadmium water concentrations tested. Cadmium residues in kidney, liver, and gill tissue of fish frown all exposure concentrations ...

Toxicity and bioaccumulation of cadmium and lead in aquatic invertebrates

Abstract Cadmium toxicity and lead toxicity to four species of insects ( Pteronarcys dorsata, Hydropsyche betteni, Brachycentrus sp. and Ephemerella sp.), one snail ( Physa integra ) and one amphipod ( Gammarus pseudolimnaeus ) were determined during 28-day exposures. The 28-day LC50 values for cadmium-exposed snails and lead-exposed amphipods were eleven and four times lower than the 7- and 4-day (96 h) values for these metals, respectively. Lowest effect concentrations obtained after 28 days for cadmium-exposed mayflies ( Ephemerella sp.) and snails and lead-exposed amphipods were similar to those affecting fish exposed over their complete life cycle in water of similar quality. Lethal threshold concentrations were not observed for species exposed to either metal, indicating that possible effects could occur at lower concentrations during longer exposure periods. Cadmium and lead concentrations in the animals tested generally increased with increasing water concentrations and were up to 30,000 and 9000 times greater than corresponding metal concentrations in the water.

Acute toxicity of phenol and substituted phenols to the fathead minnow.

Because of the wide, high-volume usage of phenolics it behooves us to be aware of their toxicity in the environment. This awareness must include a knowledge of the effects on freshwater bodies and more specifically, an appreciation of the importance of differences in the physical properties of the water. The variability of the data on some phenolics makes it difficult to separate toxicity values that vary widely from others because of different test methods rather than different physical properties of the water. Data were lacking on some of the compounds we tested, and thus our data contribute significantly to the basic informtion on these chemicals. This acute test series was conducted with a variety (12) of phenolic compounds. Test conditions were kept as uniform as possible so that the toxicities of the compounds could be attributed to the differences in toxicity rather than to differences in test conditions. In addition, the tests provide data on the toxic effects in Lake Superior water, which is a major freshwater body in the USA.

Comparative toxicity of arsenic compounds and their accumulation in invertebrates and fish

The toxicity of arsenic III, arsenic V, sodium dimethyl arsenate, and disodium methyl arsenate to stoneflies, snails, amphipods, and trout, and the bioaccumulation of these compounds were studied during a 28-day flow-through test.Daphnia magna were exposed for 21 days in static tests to determine life-cycle effects. All animals were exposed to concentrations of approximately 100 and 1000μg/L (as arsenic) of each of the compounds. Arsenic III, the most toxic compound, caused a significant reduction in the survival of amphipods at 1000μg As/L after seven days. None of the compounds significantly affected the survival of other test species after 28 days or reduced young production inDaphnia after 14 days of exposure. The concentration of accumulated arsenic in stoneflies, snails,and Daphnia was as much as 131, 99, and 219 times greater than the water concentration, whereas amphipods and rainbow trout contained arsenic residues similar to the controls. Residues in stoneflies, snails, andDaphnia exposed to 1000μg As/L were higher than those in animals exposed to 100μg As/L, but appeared to reach a steady state after 14 days. Total arsenic accumulation was greatest in organisms exposed to inorganic arsenic, particularly at 100μg/L.

Survival and growth ofTanytarsus dissimilis (Chironomidae) exposed to copper, cadmium, zinc, and lead

Tanytarsus dissimilis (Johannsen) was exposed to four heavy metals. Static exposure began during embryogenesis and continued through hatching and larval development to the 2nd or 3rd instar. The LC50 concentrations for cadmium, copper, and zinc were 3.8, 16.3, and 36.8μg/l, respectively. The LC50 for lead was 258μg/1. Growth was not reduced at exposure concentrations less than the LC50.The LC50 concentrations obtained in this insect exposure are as much as 1,600 times lower than other insect exposures reported in the literature. This is probably due to a combination of exposure of this insect during important life cycle events and species-specificity.

Effects of phenol, 2,4-dimethylphenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, and pentachlorophenol on embryo, larval, and early-juvenile fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas)

Embryos of fathead minnows were more resistant to phenol, 2,4-dimethylphenol (2,4-DMP), 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), and pentachloro-phenol (PCP) than were larval or juvenile life stages. Growth of 28-day-old fish was the most sensitive indicator of stress during exposures to phenol, 2,4-DMP, and PCP, whereas survival was the most sensitive indicator of toxic effects from 2,4-DCP exposure. Based on these effects, the estimated maximum acceptable toxicant concentration for fathead minnows in Lake Superior water lies between 1,830 and 3,570μg/L for phenol; 1,970 and 3,110μg/L for 2,4-DMP; 290 and 460μg/L for 2,4-DCP; and 44.9 and 73.0μg/L for PCP.

Toxicity of selected priority pollutants to various aquatic organisms.

Toxicity tests were conducted with selected compounds listed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as priority pollutants. Acute toxicity information was determined for acenaphthene, arsenic trioxide, cadmium chloride, mercury(II) chloride, silver nitrate, chlordane, endosulfan, and heptachlor. Acute tests were conducted using one or more of the following species: fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), brown trout (Salmo trutta), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus), snails (Aplexa hypnorum), or chironomids (Tanytarsus dissimilis). Acute values from these tests ranged from a silver nitrate 96-hr LC50 of 6.7 micrograms/liter for fathead minnows to an arsenic trioxide 48-hr LC50 of 97,000 micrograms/liter for chironomids. In addition to acute tests, a fathead minnow embryo-larval exposure was conducted with silver nitrate to estimate chronic toxicity. The estimated maximum acceptable toxicant concentration for silver nitrate, based on fathead minnow survival, lies between 0.37 and 0.65 micrograms/liter.

Effects of pH increases and sodium chloride additions on the acute toxicity of 2,4-dichlorophenol to the fathead minnow

Abstract The observable toxic effects produced by short-term exposure of fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) to 2,4-dichlorophenol were reduced when the pH of the test water was increased by the addition of NaOH. After exposure for 192 h to 7.43 mg 2,4-dichlorophenol l-1, the average survival of fathead minnows ranged from 28% at pH 7.57 to 100% at pH 9.08. Normal schooling behaviour was completely disrupted, and the equilibrium of most fish was affected after a 24-h exposure to 7.43 mg 2,4-dichlorophenol 1-1 at pH 7.57, but neither schooling nor equilibrium were affected even after 192 h at pH 8.68 and 9.08. Schooling and swimming behaviour of fathead minnows exposed to 12.33 mg 2,4-dichlorophenol l-1 were affected at all pH levels. Survival of these fish after 24 h ranged from 0% at pH 7.84–46% at pH 8.81. Sodium chloride in concentrations ranging from 0 to 13.9 mg l-1 had no observable effects on the acute toxicity of 2,4-dichlorophenol to fathead minnows.

Acute toxicity of ten chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons to the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas)

Ninety-six-hour LC50 values were determined for 10 chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons in freshwater flow-through toxicity tests on fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). The 96-hr measured LC50 values in mg/L from combined duplicate tanks were: tetrachloroethylene 13.4; 1,1′,2,2′-tetrachloroethane 20.4; pentachloroethane 7.34; 1,1′,2-trichloroethane 81.6; hexachlorobutadiene 0.10; 1,1′2-trichloroethylene 45.0; 1,2-dichloropropane 140; 1,2-dichloroethane 116; hexachloroethane 1.51; 1,3-dichloropropane 131.

Estimation of Live Fish Weight by Photography

Abstract Approximate weights offish were calculated from length and width measurements of their photographic images. In the calculations we employed the formula Wt = KLW², where Wt = weight (g); K = proportionality factor, derived from a subsample of the population under study; L = length (cm); and W = width (cm). When tested against true weights, the derived weights had a mean error of ±8.6%.