Abstract
The use of small (1 m3) enclosures for providing data on the persistence and effects of chemicals in freshwater was investigated. The enclosures included an intact water column with its associated flora and fauna and provided water/air and water/sediment interfaces when placed in small ponds.
The enclosures provided a means of examining a variety of toxic effects of two chemicals, an insecticide (methyl parathion) and a herbicide (linuron), under relatively natural conditions in a replicated experiment which lasted six weeks. Toxic effects on Zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, and the flora of the enclosures were observed and compared with the results of laboratory toxicity tests and bioassays of water samples collected from the enclosures. The persistence of the two chemicals in the water in the enclosures was followed by chemical analysis and bioassay.
Experiments in enclosures could play a role in providing data to be used in the assessment of the hazard posed by chemicals: particularly in cases where the laboratory data on acute toxicity, to single species or simple associations of species, and knowledge of simple physical constants are inadequate to allow assessment of the hazard.
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Stephenson, R.R., Kane, D.F. Persistence and effects of chemicals in small enclosures in ponds. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 13, 313–326 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01055282
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01055282