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Acute sensitivity of freshwater mollusks and commonly tested invertebrates to select chemicals with different toxic models of action
Citation:
Wang, N., C. Ingersoll, C. Ivey, B. Brumbaugh, J. Besser, E. Hammer, C. Bauer, T. Augspurger, Sandy Raimondo, B. Shephard, J. Bartoszek, C. Barnhart, AND N. Eckert. Acute sensitivity of freshwater mollusks and commonly tested invertebrates to select chemicals with different toxic models of action. Presented at SETAC North America 34th Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN, November 17 - 21, 2013.
Impact/Purpose:
Presentation at SETAC
Description:
Previous studies indicate that freshwater mollusks are more sensitive than commonly tested organisms to some chemicals, such as copper and ammonia. Nevertheless, mollusks are generally under-represented in toxicity databases. Studies are needed to generate data with which to compare the sensitivity of mollusks to other invertebrates and to evaluate the adequacy of existing or proposed US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ambient water quality criteria (AWQC) for the protection of mollusks. The objectives of this ongoing study are to compare the sensitivity of six mussel and two snail species from different tribes or families, and three commonly tested invertebrates (amphipod Hyalella azteca and cladocerans Ceriodaphnia dubia and Daphnia magna) in acute water exposures with 10 chemicals representing different toxic modes of action, and to “screen” acute sensitivity to 10 additional chemicals with a commonly tested mussel species (fatmucket Lampsilis siliquoidea). The chemicals were chosen based on the interest of the EPA in developing or updating AWQC, the availability of toxicity data for non-mollusks, the sensitivity of other non-unionid mollusks to the chemicals, and toxic mode of action. Preliminary results of the tests conducted to date indicate that: (1) mussels representing different tribes or families have similar sensitivity to the tested chemicals; (2) mussels are sensitive to 9 of the 10 tested chemicals compared to the commonly tested species and other species in national databases; (3) the AWQC may not protect mussels from acute exposures of ammonia, chloride, or nickel; and (4) AWQC may need to be derived or updated for chloride, potassium, and sulfate to reflect the sensitivity of mussels to these ions.