title: Application of simple and low-cost toxicity tests for ecotoxicological assessment of industrial wastewaters.
abstract: The objective of this study was to identify and to apply appropriate biotests having the advantages of being highly sensitive, easy to run, relatively inexpensive and able to substitute fish toxicity tests due to ethical reasons of animal welfare. To perform an ecotoxicological assessment of industrial wastewaters, different microbiotests were conducted to substitute the fish toxicity test with Lebistes reticulatus through Vibrio fischeri, Thamnocephalus platyurus, Daphnia magna, Lemna minor and Lepidium sativum representing different trophic levels in the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Also, Algaltox F(TM) with Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and Protox F(TM) with Tetrahymena thermophila tests were carried out. However, they could not be applied successfully for the wastewater samples. Wastewater samples from seven different industrial zones comprising different industries were subjected to characterization through measuring their physical-chemical parameters and their toxicity versus the above-mentioned organisms. T. platyurus, D. magna and L. reticulatus were the most sensitive test organisms investigated for the wastewaters. Considering toxic unit values, generally wastewater samples were toxic according to Thamnotox F(TM), Daphtox F(TM) and fish toxicity tests. As an important outcome, it was concluded that Daphtox F(TM) and Thamnotox F(TM) could be a good alternative for the fish toxicity test, which is so far the sole toxicity test accepted by the Turkish Water Pollution Control Regulation.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Environmental Engineering , Necmettin Erbakan University , Konya , Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Emin
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.affiliation: a Department of Environmental Engineering , Necmettin Erbakan University , Konya , Turkey.
authors.forename: Senar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.affiliation: b Department of Environmental Engineering , Selcuk University , Konya , Turkey.
authors.forename: Süheyla
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tongur
authors.affiliation: b Department of Environmental Engineering , Selcuk University , Konya , Turkey.
authors.forename: Gülnihal
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kara
authors.affiliation: c Institute of Environmental and Sustainable Chemistry, Technical University of Braunschweig , Braunschweig , Germany.
authors.forename: Marit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kolb
authors.affiliation: c Institute of Environmental and Sustainable Chemistry, Technical University of Braunschweig , Braunschweig , Germany.
authors.forename: Müfit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bahadir
mesh_terms: D048908:Aliivibrio fischeri / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods*; D003621:Daphnia / Q000187:drug effects; D054750:Ecotoxicology / Q000379:methods*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005399:Fishes; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000379:methods*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: aquatic toxicity; bioassays; ecotoxicology; fish toxicity; industrial wastewater