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Aquatic hazard assessment of the toxic fraction from the effluent of a petrochemical plant
Author(s) -
Dorn Philip B.,
VanCompernolle Remi,
Meyer Charles L.,
Crossland Norman O.
Publication year - 1991
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.5620100515
Subject(s) - effluent , environmental chemistry , toxicity , bioconcentration , acute toxicity , chemistry , ether , fraction (chemistry) , toxicology , bioaccumulation , chromatography , biology , environmental engineering , organic chemistry , environmental science
Effluent hazard assessment guidelines were applied to determine the environmental safety of discharged chloroether fractions from a chemical plant effluent. The chloroether fraction was identified as a mixture of pentachloroethers (2,5,6‐trichlorohexyl 1′,3′‐dichloroisopropyl ether [PCE 1,3] and 2,5,6‐trichlorohexyl 2′,3′‐dichloropropyl ether [PCE 2,3]), tetrachloropropyl ethers (TCPE; a mixture of l,3,1′,3′‐tetrachloroisopropyl ether, 1,3‐dichloroisopropyl 2′3′‐dichloropropyl ether, and 2,3,2′,3′‐tetrachloropropyl ether), 1,2,5,6 tetrachlorohexane (TCH), and related components. The fractions were identified in a toxicity identification evaluation (TIE). The chloroether mixture was acutely toxic between 1.5 and 20 mg/L and had no observed effect concentrations (NOEC) for chronic toxicity from 1 to 3.2 mg/L. Individual chloroether components showed acute toxicity (LC50) from 1.5 to 56 mg/L. Acute toxicity predictions from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) structure‐activity relationships (SAR) were within a factor of four. Acute to chronic ratios for specific chloroether components were between 3 and 14. Sediment studies showed moderate sorption of TCPE with a log K oc between 2.7 and 2.9. The log K ow was 3.2 for TCPE, and the bioconcentration potential (logBCF) for the mixture was < 2.7. Laboratory and field stream experiments confirmed laboratory predictions for toxicity, with NOEC for trout growth > 0.26 mg/L and effects on Gammarus feeding at 0.44 mg/L of the mixture.