Aeration with carbon dioxide-supplemented air as a method to control pH drift in toxicity tests with effluents from wastewater treatment plants.

Environment Canada methods for acute toxicity tests with rainbow trout require continuous aeration of test solutions during exposure. Depending on the sample, this procedure can result in an increase in pH as dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) is stripped from solution as a result of aeration. In samples that contain ammonia, the pH may increase to the point where the unionized fraction results in artifactual toxicity.