Acute and sublethal toxicity tests to monitor the impact of leachate on an aquatic environment.
In this study, a specific landfill leachate (1200 mg l(-1) COD and 600 mg l(-1) BOD(5)) was used to develop a standardised short-term acute and longer-term sublethal ex-situ toxicity testing programme, in order to determine the potential ecological implications of leaching contaminants reaching the water table. Bioassays were undertaken with juvenile Gammarus pulex and Asellus aquaticus macro-invertebrates. Preliminary acute test variables included static and static renewed flow rates for 96-h, starved and fed specimens, and aerobic and oxygen depleting conditions. However, regardless of any test variable, the lethal concentration (LC(50)) for A. aquaticus remained at 12.3% v/v leachate in deionized water, whilst that for G. pulex was only 1%. Sublethal toxicity was judged on the basis of frequency of births and the growth rate of newly born individuals. Tests showed that even a dilution as high as 1:66- would influence the fecundity of a Gammarus population, whilst a dilution of 1:20 would affect the size of an Asellus breeding colony.
Bloor
M C
MC
School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK. M.C.Bloor@soton.ac.uk
Banks
C J
CJ
Krivtsov
V
V
D033304:Amphipoda / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects; D033321:Isopoda / Q000502:physiology; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008297:Male; D010539:Permeability; D012037:Refuse Disposal; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D012995:Solubility; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*
D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014873:Water Pollutants