Invertebrates toxicity

Persoone, G. Janssen, C.R. Freshwater invertebrate toxicity tests. In Handbook of Ecotoxicology Calow, P., Ed. Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1994 Vol. 1, Chap. 4, 51-65. 

Lokke, H. and Van Gestel, C.A.M. (1998) Handbook of Soil Invertebrate Toxicity Tests. John Wiley Sons, Chichester. 

Lpkke, H. and Van Gestel, C.A.M. (1998) Soil toxicity tests in risk assessment of new and existing chemicals. In Handbook of Soil Invertebrate Toxicity Tests, L0kke, H. and Van Gestel, C.A.M. (eds), pp. 3-19. John Wiley Sons, Chichester. 

Environmental Controls in Production. Environmental permit requirements should be evaluated based on the commercial-scale material balance and new equipment specifications. Testing requirements for environmental evaluation should include acute fish and invertebrate toxicity for raw materials, intermediates, and products biodegradation of raw materials, intermediates, and products microbial growth inhibition of raw materials, intermediates, and products water coefficients (KOW) and water solubility for raw materials, intermediates, and products and waste treatability test results. Particular emphasis should be placed on the evaluation of the compatibility of the new process waste streams with the existing waste-treatment systems. If any process waste streams require off-site disposal into regulated hazardous waste landfills, leaching experiments may also be required. 

Ecotoxicity acute/prolonged toxicity to fish, acute toxicity to aquatic invertebrates, toxicity to aquatic plants e.g. algae, toxicity to microorganisms, e.g. bacteria, chronic toxicity to fish, chronic toxicity to aquatic in-... 

Kula, H. Larink, O. (1998) Tests on the Earthworms Eisenia fetida and Aporrectodea caliginosa, in Handbook of soil invertebrate toxicity tests, H. Lokke and C.A.M. van Gestel (eds), lohn Wiley Sons, Chichester, pp. 95—112. 

Perchlorate (C104 ) was used in explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics in the forms of ammonium, sodium, and potassium perchlorate. Although perchlorate can persist as a contaminant in ground and surface water, assessment of the perchlorate toxicity to soil invertebrates received little attention due to its high aqueous solubility and mobility, which diminish potential exposure of soil organisms. Limited soil invertebrate toxicity data for sodium perchlorate was determined in studies with E. fetida exposed in sand/manure mixture (20 4 weight/weight) or artificial soil (filter paper... 

Environmental Considerations. The phosphate flame retardants, plasticizers, and functional fluids have come under intense environmental scmtiny. Results pubUshed to date on acute toxicity to aquatic algae, invertebrates, and fish indicate substantial differences between the various aryl phosphates (159—162). The EPA has summarized this data as well as the apparent need for additional testing (147). 

Unfortunately, there is a significant disadvantage resulting from appHcation of insect-resist agents from dyebaths it is impossible to ensure 100% exhaustion (transfer of pesticide from dyebath to fiber) and as a result, there is inevitably some environmental contamination. The extent of concern with this release of insect-resist agent depends on the spectmm of activity of the agent. If it is a broad-spectmm insecticide, especially one with reasonable persistence and lipophilic character, it is Hable to be reasonably toxic to aquatic insects and invertebrates, especially in certain environmental locations where... 

A relatively small number of studies have reported on the effects of cumene on plants, fish, and other organisms. Studies of the effects of cumene on fresh and saltwater fish indicate the lowest reported toxic concentration (LC q) for fishes was 20 to 30 mg/L (18). The solubiUty of cumene is about 50 mg/L (19). Among invertebrates, the lowest reported concentration that was toxic to test organisms was 0.012 mg/L after 18 hours (20). The only available data on the effect of cumene on aquatic plants indicate that the photosynthesis of several species was inhibited at concentrations from 9 to 21 mg/L (19). 

Exposure to estrogenic compounds through diet will differ for herbivores and carnivores, the latter being most likely to encounter endogenous steroids in their prey. Efficient uptake of steroids in mammals is illustrated by the use of the contraceptive pill, but routes of absorption in invertebrates remain to be determined. The relationship between endocrine disruption and metabolic toxicity, with reduced reproductive viability a secondary consequence of metabolic disturbance, also merits further study in invertebrate species. 

Many pesticides cause endocrine disruption in vertebrate and invertebrate species at concentrations that are not overtly metabolically toxic. The insect growth inhibitor diflubenzuron can affect the reproduction, development and behaviour of estuarine crustaceans at concentrations of just lOmgP (reviewed... 

K. J. Maeek, K. S. Buxton, S. S. Sauter, S. Gnilka and J. W. Dean, Chronic Toxicity of Atrazine to Selected Aquatic Invertebrates and Pishes, Environmental Researeh Laboratory, US Environmental Proteetion Ageney, Deluth, MN, 1976, EPA 600/3-76-047. 

It is obvious from the provisional risk assessment values for microcystins, and, being of the same order of magnitude of mammalian toxicity, similar values may be calculated for the cyanobacterial neurotoxins, that sensitive detection methods are required to detect these low concentrations of toxins. Of the biological methods of detection discussed earlier, the mouse and invertebrate bioassays are not sensitive enough without concentration of water samples, in that they are only able to detect mg of microcystins per litre. Only the immunoassays (ng-/rg 1 and the protein phosphatase inhibition assays (ng O... 

Water birds have not been shown to be directly affected by acidification. However, the prey of waterbirds may be of concern as these lower food-chain organisms may have elevated levels of toxic metals related to acidification of their habitat. Moreover, most water birds rely on some component of the aquatic food-chain for their high protein diet. Invertebrates that normally supply caJcium to egg-laying birds or their growing chicks are among the first to disappear as lakes acidify. As these food sources are reduced or eliminated due to acidification, bird habitat is reduced and reproductive rate of the birds is affected. The Common Loon is able to raise fewer chicks, or none at all, on acidic lakes where fish populations are reduced 37 and 5S). However, in some isolated cases, food supplies can be increased when competitive species are eliminated (e.g.. Common Goldeneye ducks can better exploit insects as food when competition from fish is eliminated). The collective influences of acidification are difficult to quantify on a specific area basis but for species that rely on a healthy aquatic ecosystem to breed, acidification remains a continuing threat in thousands of lakes across eastern North America 14). 

Sediment Analysis. Sediment is the most chemically and biologically active component of the aquatic environment. Benthic invertebrate and microbial life concentrate in the sediment, a natural sink for precipitated metal forms, and an excellent sorbent for many metal species. TTie extent to which potentially toxic trace element forms bind to sediment is determined by the sediment s binding intensity and capacity and various solution parameters, as well as the concentration and nature of the metal forms of interest. Under some conditions sediment analyses can readily indicate sources of discharged trace elements. 

Dibutyltin No significant neurotoxicity reported Yes. NOAEL = 2.5 (teratogenicity) and 1.0/5.0 (maternal toxicity) mg/kg body weight per day (as DBTC) Aromatase inhibition present (at least 10 times less potent than tributyltin) no imposex in vivo in invertebrates Yes. NOAEL could not be determined lowest dose reported to cause immunological effects = 2.5 mg/kg body weight per day (as DBTC)... 

Monomethyltirf. Acute toxicity studies were identified for monomethyltin for algae, invertebrates, and fish. Chronic NOECs were available for algae and invertebrates. A chronic NOEC of 0.007 mg/1 for monomethyltin chloride in Scenedesmus subspica-tus was the lowest reported result. Since there were no long-term test results available for fish, it was necessary to apply an uncertainty factor of 50 to the critical study. 

Dioctyltirv. Acute toxicity studies were identified for dioctyltin for invertebrates and fish. Chronic NOECs were available for algae and invertebrates. 

A formidable array of compounds of diverse structure that are toxic to invertebrates or vertebrates or both have been isolated from plants. They are predominately of lipophilic character. Some examples are given in Figure 1.1. Many of the compounds produced by plants known to be toxic to animals are described in Harborne and Baxter (1993) Harborne, Baxter, and Moss (1996) Frohne and Pfander (2006) D Mello, Duffus, and Duffus (1991) and Keeler and Tu (1983). The development of new pesticides using some of these compounds as models has been reviewed by Copping and Menn (2000), and Copping and Duke (2007). Information about the mode of action of some of them are given in Table 1.1, noting cases where human-made pesticides act in a similar way. 

A striking feature of the toxic compounds considered so far is that many of them are neurotoxic to vertebrates or invertebrates or both. The nervous system of animals appears to be a particularly vulnerable target in chemical warfare. Not altogether surprisingly, all the major types of insecticides that have been commercially successful are also neurotoxins. Indeed, in 2003, neurotoxic insecticides accounted for over 70% of total insecticide sales globally (Nauen 2006). 

A considerable number of mycotoxins that show high toxicity to vertebrates and/ or invertebrates are produced by organisms associated with crop plants (Flannigan 1991). There are many known cases of human poisoning caused by such compounds. There are three broad categories of mycotoxins represented here, based on the structures of the intermediates from which these secondary metabolites are derived. They are (1) compounds derived from polyketides, (2) terpenes derived from mevalonic acid, and (3) cyclic peptides and derivatives thereof. 

Toxicity is the outcome of interaction between a chemical and a living organism. The toxicity of any chemical depends on its own properties and on the operation of certain physiological and biochemical processes within the animal or plant that is exposed to it. These processes are the subject of the present chapter. They can operate in different ways and at different rates in different species—the main reasons for the selective toxicity of chemicals between species. On the same grounds, chemicals show selective toxicity (henceforward simply selectivity ) between groups of organisms (e.g., animals versus plants and invertebrates versus vertebrates) and also between sexes, strains, and age groups of the same species. 

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