title: A practical ranking system to compare toxicity of anti-fouling paints.
abstract: The toxicity of a number of new anti-fouling paints, claimed to function by physical means and not by leakage of toxic substances, have been tested on two common organisms in the Baltic Sea, i.e., the red macro alga Ceramium tenuicorne and the copepod Nitocra spinipes. In order to compare the toxicity between the paints a ranking system was developed based on the EC(50)- and LC(50)-values. The results showed a wide span in toxicity with the most toxic paints ranked 160 times more toxic than the ones ranked least toxic. Also, TBT, irgarol and diuron, which have been used as active ingredients in traditional anti-fouling paints, were used to evaluate the sensitivity of the two test organisms. The results showed that the test organisms were equally sensitive to the substances as similar organisms in earlier studies. In conclusion, the ranking system presented in this study permits ranking and comparison of total toxicity of complex mixtures.
authors.affiliation: ITM, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. jenny.karlsson@itm.su.se <jenny.karlsson@itm.su.se>
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Breitholtz
authors.forename: Britta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Eklund
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D033342:Copepoda / Q000187:drug effects; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D010150:Paint / Q000145:classification / Q000633:toxicity*; D010571:Pest Control; D000461:Rhodophyta / Q000187:drug effects; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical