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BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF TOXICITY CAUSED BY CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS ELUTED FROM SITE SOILS COLLECTED AT THE DRAKE CHEMICAL SUPERFUND SITE
Citation:
Greene, J. BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF TOXICITY CAUSED BY CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS ELUTED FROM SITE SOILS COLLECTED AT THE DRAKE CHEMICAL SUPERFUND SITE. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/3-91/011 (NTIS PB91186965).
Description:
The site was used to manufactured specialty intermediate chemicals for the producers of dyes, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, herbicides, and pesticides. he herbicide Fenac (2,3,6-trichlorophenylacetic acid) is a major on- and off-site contaminant. ne hundred twenty -eight soils were collected. lutriates were prepared for toxicity evaluation of water extractable constituents. he chemical nature of the elutriates was so complex that it was impossible to determine chemical cause/biological effect relationships based on chemical analyses alone. ioassays identified locations of toxicity on the site without identifying the causative agents; important because numerical criteria are not available for many organic chemicals and there is little understanding of the affects of mixtures of chemicals in complex wastes on test organisms or the environment. he measured response represents an actual assessment of any synergistic or antagonistic interactions. ifty-nine percent of the 128 elutriates were toxic to the algae Selenastrum capricornutum and 43 percent were toxic to Daphnia magna. oth organisms indicated that toxic sample numbers increased with depth of sampling. he Toxi-chromotest (bacteria) revealed toxicity in 2.3% of the 128 elutriates; all had been identified by algae and Daphnia. en elutriates were toxic only to Daphnia and 30 only to S. capricornutum. ifty-one were toxic to both algae and Daphnia, but Daphnia was most sensitive in only 8 elutriates. f one test was used, 10 to 30 toxic elutriates could have not been identified, depending on the test organism selected.