Premium
Fish toxicity and surface tension of non‐ionic surfactants: investigations of antifoam agents
Author(s) -
Müller R.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8649.1980.tb03735.x
Subject(s) - pulmonary surfactant , defoamer , toxicity , surface tension , fish <actinopterygii> , biology , nonylphenol , alkylphenol , rainbow trout , chromatography , toxicology , biochemistry , chemistry , fishery , organic chemistry , optics , dispersion (optics) , physics , genetics , alkyl , dispersant , quantum mechanics
Fish toxicity of etho‐nonylphenol and of two non‐ionic antifoam agents was tested using rainbow trout, Sulmo guirdneri , in 24 h tests. The surface tension of these three compounds was found to depend on concentration and ageing time of the test solutions. The toxicity of the surfactant was about twice as high as known values, with a LC 50 of 8.5 mg/1 at 15°C. The addition of antifoam agents to the surfactant solutions further lowered the surface tension but did not alter substantially the fish toxicity of the surfactant. Contrary to expectation, the fish survived in concentrated antifoam solutions at surface tensions as low as 31 dyn/cm for more than 24 h without any apparent damage. The relevance of the surface tension regarding the fish toxicity of detergents in general is critically discussed.