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An assessment of the toxicity of phthalate esters to freshwater benthos. 1. Aqueous exposures
Author(s) -
Call Daniel J.,
Markee Thomas P.,
Geiger Dianne L.,
Brooke Larry T.,
VandeVenter Fred A.,
Cox Dean A.,
Genisot Kristen I.,
Robillard Kenneth A.,
Gorsuch Joseph W.,
Parkerton Thomas F.,
Reiley Mary C.,
Ankley Gerald T.,
Mount David R.
Publication year - 2001
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.5620200825
Subject(s) - phthalate , hyalella azteca , environmental chemistry , chemistry , diethyl phthalate , toxicity , sediment , ecotoxicology , population , dry weight , toxicology , biology , organic chemistry , ecology , amphipoda , botany , paleontology , demography , crustacean , sociology
Tests were performed with the freshwater invertebrates Hyalella azteca, Chironomus tentans , and Lumbriculus variegatus to determine the acute toxicity of six phthalate esters, including dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di‐ n ‐butyl phthalate (DBP), butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP), di‐ n ‐hexyl phthalate (DHP), and di‐2‐ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). It was possible to derive 10‐d LC50 (lethal concentration for 50% of the population) values only for the four lower molecular weight esters (DMP, DEP, DBP, and BBP), for which toxicity increased with increasing octanol–water partition coefficient ( K ow ) and decreasing water solubility. The LC50 values for DMP, DEP, DBP, and BBP were 28.1, 4.21, 0.63, and 0.46 mg/L for H. azteca ; 68.2, 31.0, 2.64, and > 1.76 mg/L for C. tentans ; and 246, 102, 2.48, and 1.23 mg/L for L. variegatus , respectively. No significant survival reductions were observed when the three species were exposed to either DHP or DEHP at concentrations approximating their water solubilities.