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TOXICITY OF COMPLEX WASTE MIXTURES: A COMPARISON OF OBSERVED AND PREDICTED LETHALITY
Citation:
Simmons, J. AND E. Berman. TOXICITY OF COMPLEX WASTE MIXTURES: A COMPARISON OF OBSERVED AND PREDICTED LETHALITY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-89/524 (NTIS PB91182063), 1989.
Description:
The ability to predict the biological effect of complex waste mixtures from chemical characterization data was examined by comparing observed mortality to that predicted by a mathematical additivity model with literature LD50 values for the chemicals identified in the mixtures. ale F344 rats were exposed to one of ten samples of complex industrial waste by gavage. even of the ten waste samples caused death within 24 hours of administration at dosages ranging from 1 to 5 ml/kg body weight. wo of the seven lethal waste samples produced 100% mortality at a dosage of 2.5 ml/kg; another two waste samples produced 100% mortality at 5 ml/kg. he partial chemical analysis, although providing more extensive information on chemical composition than might normally be available for most complex waste mixtures, was not sufficient to distinguish lethal from nonlethal waste samples or to indicate lethal potency. ossible explanations for the apparent inability to predict readily lethality from the chemical characterization data include: he possible inappropriateness of an additivity model due to the presence of interactions, such as synergism or antagonism; the kinetics of chemical absorption, distribution and elimination which may be affected by administration of the chemical in a complex matrix; and the presence of unidentified chemicals in the mixture that contribute to the observed toxicity.