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The chronic toxicity of sodium bicarbonate, a major component of coal bed natural gas produced waters
Author(s) -
Farag Aïda M.,
Harper David D.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.2455
Subject(s) - ceriodaphnia dubia , chronic toxicity , pimephales promelas , toxicity , environmental chemistry , population , mussel , toxicology , biology , minnow , gill , chemistry , acute toxicity , ecology , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , demography , organic chemistry , sociology
Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 ) is the principal salt in coal bed natural gas produced water from the Powder River Structural Basin, Wyoming, USA, and concentrations of up to 3000 mg NaHCO 3 /L have been documented at some locations. No adequate studies have been performed to assess the chronic effects of NaHCO 3 exposure. The present study was initiated to investigate the chronic toxicity and define sublethal effects at the individual organism level to explain the mechanisms of NaHCO 3 toxicity. Three chronic experiments were completed with fathead minnows ( Pimephales promelas ), 1 with white suckers ( Catostomus commersoni ), 1 with Ceriodaphnia dubia , and 1 with a freshwater mussel, ( Lampsilis siliquoidea ). The data demonstrated that approximately 500 mg NaHCO 3 /L to 1000 mg NaHCO 3 /L affected all species of experimental aquatic animals in chronic exposure conditions. Freshwater mussels were the least sensitive to NaHCO 3 exposure, with a 10‐d inhibition concentration that affects 20% of the sample population (IC20) of 952 mg NaHCO 3 /L. The IC20 for C. dubia was the smallest, at 359 mg NaHCO 3 /L. A significant decrease in sodium–potassium adenosine triphosphatase (Na + /K + ATPase) together with the lack of growth effects suggests that Na + /K + ATPase activity was shut down before the onset of death. Several histological anomalies, including increased incidence of necrotic cells, suggested that fish were adversely affected as a result of exposure to >450 mg NaHCO 3 /L. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:532–540. © 2014 SETAC. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.