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DEVELOPMENT OF A SPERM CELL TOXICITY TEST FOR MARINE WATERS
Citation:
Dinnel, P., Q. Stober, S. Crumley, AND R. Nakatani. DEVELOPMENT OF A SPERM CELL TOXICITY TEST FOR MARINE WATERS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-82/330.
Description:
Preliminary methods for conducting a quick and sensitive sperm cell toxicity test for marine waters have been developed. This paper presents a simple static test in which sea urchin or sand dollar sperm cells are exposed to test or control solutions for short periods of time (typically 15 to 60 mins.). Sperm cell toxicity tests with two reference toxicants (silver nitrate and the pesticide endosulfan) showed that toxic responses were directly related to sperm exposure time. Additional development and refinement of this sperm cell toxicity test should yield an additional tool for the biomonitoring of receiving water quality.