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Acute toxicity of pure pentachlorophenol and a technical formulation to three species ofDaphnia

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Abstract

The acute toxicity of a technical formulation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) and pure pentachlorophenol to three age classes ofDaphnia magna, and adultD. pulex andD. galeata mendotae was determined by static toxicity tests. The influence of a number of factors on toxicity of PCP was also examined. The 48-hr LC50 estimates for adult daphnids of the three species exposed to pure PCP were 1.78, 4.59 and 0.51 mg/L, respectively, while those for the technical formulation were 2.57, 3.66 and 0.33 mg/L, respectively. There was little difference in toxicity between the technical and pure PCP; however, toxicity of both forms of PCP was influenced by duration of exposure, age (and/or size) and species of test organism and pH of the test solution.

Pentachlorophenol caused a toxic response over a very narrow range of concentrations, with the greatest response occurring immediately between 0 and 24 hr. Pure PCP was equally toxic to all age classes ofD. magna but susceptibility to technical PCP decreased with maturation.D. g. mendotae was ten times more sensitive thanD. pulex to PCP. Pure PCP was significantly more toxic toD. magna at pH 5.5 than 7.0 with mean 48-hr LC50 values of 0.082 and 1.78 mg PCP/L, respectively.

At 12°C, the toxicity of both forms of PCP toD. g. mendotae andD. pulex did not differ significantly from that at 20°C; however, technical PCP was significantly more toxic toD. magna at 12°C for an exposure duration of 48 hr. There was no effect of test container size (100, 250, 600 and 1,000 mL) on the toxicity of PCP toD. magna at 20°C with the lower pH of 5.5, suggesting that adsorption to glassware was not a factor in availability of PCP to test organisms. Beaker size had no effect on the toxicity of PCP toD. pulex at 20°C with test solutions having a pH of 7.0-8.0.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, NIG 2W1, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

    G. L. Stephenson & N. K. Kaushik

  2. Canadian Centre for Toxicology, 645 Gordon Street, N1G 2W1, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

    K. R. Solomon

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  1. G. L. Stephenson
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  2. N. K. Kaushik
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  3. K. R. Solomon
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Stephenson, G.L., Kaushik, N.K. & Solomon, K.R. Acute toxicity of pure pentachlorophenol and a technical formulation to three species ofDaphnia . Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 20, 73–80 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01065331

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