Abstract |
Recent contamination of the James River estuary, Virginia, with Kepone prompted acute flow-through bioassays to determine the 96-hour toxicity of the insecticide to four estuarine species native to that ecosystem. The species and their 96-hour LC50 values were--grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio), 121 micrograms/liter; blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), less than 210 micrograms/liter; sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus), 69.5 micrograms/liter; and spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) 6.6 micrograms/liter. Surviving animals were analyzed for Kepone. Average bioconcentration factors (the concentration of Kepone in tissues divided by the concentration of Kepone measured in seawater) were--grass shrimp, 698; blue crab, 8.1; sheepshead minnow, 1,548; and spot, 1,221. |