title: Selecting a sensitive battery of bioassays to detect toxic effects of metals in effluents.
abstract: The use of bioassay batteries is necessary to evaluate toxic effects at various biological levels. The selection of bioassays without prior testing and determination of the most sensitive/suitable groups for each impact may allow the discharge of effluents that pose a threat to the environment. The present study tested and selected a battery of sensitive ecotoxicological bioassays for detecting toxic effects of metals. The sensitivities of six organisms were evaluated (algae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and Chlorella vulgaris, Cladocera Daphnia similis and Ceriodaphnia dubia, and fish Poecilia reticulata and Danio rerio) after exposure to 10 individual metal species deemed toxic to the aquatic environment (Ag+, Cd2+, Cu+, Cu2+, Cr3+, Cr6+, Pb2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, and Hg2+) and to real (steel-mill) and laboratory simulated effluents. In the bioassays, fish were the least sensitive; D. rerio showed no sensitivity to any of the effluents tested. P. subcapitata was a good bioindicator of Cr3+toxicity, and D. similis was the most sensitive organism to Hg2+; but the toxic effect of effluents with higher levels of Hg2+was better detected by C. dubia. The most sensitive battery of bioassays to detect low concentrations of dissolved metals in effluents was the 72-h chronic test with C. vulgaris and the 48-h acute test with C. dubia.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia Aplicada à Indústria Mínero-Metalúrgica, CETEM. Av. Pedro Calmon, 900, Ilha da Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 21941-908, Brazil; Laboratório de Tecnologia Ambiental, Instituto de Química, Programa de Pós-graduação em Química, UERJ. R. São Francisco Xavier 524, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 20550-013, Brazil. Electronic address: dmagalhaes@cetem.gov.br.
authors.forename: Danielly
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: de Paiva Magalhães
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Tecnologia Ambiental, Instituto de Química, Programa de Pós-graduação em Química, UERJ. R. São Francisco Xavier 524, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 20550-013, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mônica Regina
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: da Costa Marques
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Avaliação e Promoção da Saúde Ambiental, IOC, FIOCRUZ. Av. Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 21045-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Darcilio
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fernandes Baptista
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Avaliação e Promoção da Saúde Ambiental, IOC, FIOCRUZ. Av. Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 21045-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Forsin Buss
keywords: Acute toxicity; Chronic toxicity; Concentration addition model; Ecotoxicology; Impact assessment; Steel-mill effluent