Whole Effluent Toxicity

Grothe DR, Dickson KL, Reed-Judkins DK (1995) SETAC Pellston workshop on whole effluent toxicity, 16-25 Sep 1995. SETAC Press, p 340... 

Whole effluent toxicity test species are generally not the same as the resident species that the results of WET testing are aimed at protecting, particularly where nontemperate environments (e.g., tropical and Arctic environments) are concerned, or for estuaries [177]. Also, not all resident species have the same sensitivities to individual or combined contaminants in effluents. Further, differences exist between sensitivities and tolerances of WET species. Such differences are not unexpected hence, it is desirable to use more than one toxicity test organism and endpoint to assess effluent toxicity. 

Figure 5 Irish industry specific criteria for whole effluent toxicity.

Chapman, P.M. Whole effluent toxicity testing - usefulness, level of protection, and risk assessment. Envir. Toxicol. Chem. 2000, 19, 3-13. 

EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Regions 9 and 10 Guidance for Implementing Whole Effluent Toxicity Testing Programs, Technical Report Seattle, WA, 1996. 

Grothe, D.R. Johnson, D.E. Bacterial interferences in whole effluent toxicity tests. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 1996, 15, 161-1(A. 

Conventional refinery wastewater treatment technology is mainly concerned with removing oU, organics, and suspended solids before discharge. However, because of new stringent discharge requirements for specific toxic constituents as well as whole-effluent toxicity, specific advanced treatment processes are becoming a necessity for many refineries. This section describes the... 

Many refineries in the United States are being required to control whole-effluent toxicity as well as specific toxic constituents to meet new wastewater discharge limits. There can be a variety of toxic constituents that may need to be controlled, depending on waste characteristics and local water quality objectives. The more common constituents in refinery wastewater include cyanide and heavy metals. The treatment processes for control of whole-effluent toxicity, cyanide, and heavy metals are discussed below. 

Any treatment process that can remove the toxicity-causing constituents can reduce whole-effluent toxicity of a discharge. If the primary cause of effluent toxicity can be identified through the TIE or TRE procedures, specific treatment processes can be incorporated into the existing treatment system to control the toxicity. However, for a complex wastewater such as that from refinery and petrochemical facilities, the cause of toxicity may not be easily identified. The toxicity can be caused by a combination of constituents that exhibit synergistic or antagonistic effects. 

Wong and Maroney [49] reported on a pilot plant comparison of PACT and extended aeration (activated sludge) for treating petroleum rehnery wastewater. Results indicated that although both processes performed similarly in COD removal, only the PACT system yielded an effluent meeting the discharge requirements for whole effluent toxicity reduction. Similar results in toxicity reduction have been reported for wastewaters from other industries [50]. 

Whole-Effluent Toxicity Testing An Evaluation of Methods and Prediction of Receiving System Impacts. Pellston, Michigan, 16 to 21 Sep 1995. Published by SETAC, 1996. 

Grothe, D.R., Dickson, K.L. and Reed-Judkins, D.K. (eds.) (1996) Whole effluent toxicity testing an evaluation of methods and prediction of receiving system impacts, Proceedings from a SETAC -sponsored Pellston Workshop, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Pensacola, FL, 346 pp. 

Ausley, L.W., Arnold, R.W., Denton, D.L., Goodfellow, W.L., Heber, M., Hockett, R., Klaine, S., Mount, D., Norberg-King, T., Ruffler, R. and Waller, W.T. (1998) Application of TIEs/TREs to whole effluent toxicity principles and guidance. A report by the Whole Effluent Toxicity TIE/TRE Expert Advisory Panel. Pensacola, FL Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). 

Bailey, H.C., Krassoi, R., Elphick, J.R., Mulhall, A., Hunt, P., Tedmanson, L. and Lovell, A. (2000) Whole effluent toxicity of sewage treatment plants in the Hawksbury-Nepean watershed, New South Wales, Australia, to Ceriodaphnia dubia and Selenastrum capricornutum, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 19, 72-81. 

The United States is the leader as regards the integrated assessment of the quality of effluents introduced into aquatic environments. In 1984, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) introduced the notion of Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET). WET assays may involve the following samples 79... 

De Vlaming V, Connor V, DiGiorgio C, Bailey HC, Deanovic LA, Hinton DE. 2000. Application of whole-effluent toxicity test procedures to ambient water quality assessment. Environ Toxicol Chem 19 42-62. 

Warren-Hicks W, ParkhurstB. 2003. Whole effluent toxicity tests using Bayesian methods to calculate model-based variability. SETAC 24th Annual Meeting, Austin, Texas. 

Apart from the 1-sample case, natural pollution gradients, for example, in a stream below a point pollution source or in whole effluent toxicity (WET) testing,... 

Whole mixture approach for unique mixtures. This is an option if dealing with a mixture of completely unknown or unique origin and composition. In this case, results of previous effect studies cannot be used to assess the effects of the mixture of concern. Determination of a safe concentration level or a dose-response relationship for these mixtures is inefficient, as the effect data cannot be reused to assess the risks of other mixtures. The mixture of concern has to be tested directly in the field or the laboratory, like in the whole effluent toxicity (WET) test, resulting in a direct indication of the potential effects. 

WET Whole effluent toxicity. The total toxic effect of an effluent measured directly with a toxicity test or bioassay. 

SETAC] Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 2004. Technical issue paper whole effluent toxicity testing. Pensacola (FL) Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 

USEPA] US Environmental Protection Agency. 1995. Whole effluent toxicity guidelines establishing test procedures for the analysis of pollutants. Office of Science and Technology, US Environmental Protection Agency. Federal Register 60(199) 53529-53544. 

USEPA] US Environmental Protection Agency. 2004. National whole effluent toxicity (WET) implementation guidance under the NPDES program [Draft]. EPA 832-B-04-003. Washington (DC) US Environmental Protection Agency. Office of Wastewater Management. 

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