An effects addition model based on bioaccumulation of metals from exposure to mixtures of metals can predict chronic mortality in the aquatic invertebrate Hyalella azteca.

Chronic toxicity tests of mixtures of 9 metals and 1 metalloid (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Tl, and Zn) at equitoxic concentrations over an increasing concentration range were conducted with the epibenthic, freshwater amphipod Hyalella azteca. The authors conducted 28-d, water-only tests. The bioaccumulation trends changed for 8 of the elements in exposures to mixtures of the metals compared with individual metal exposures.

Cadmium bioavailability to Hyalella azteca from a periphyton diet compared to an artificial diet and application of a biokinetic model.

Differences between the bioavailability of cadmium in a periphyton diet and an artificial laboratory diet (TetraMin(®)) have important consequences for predicting bioaccumulation and toxicity in the freshwater amphipod Hyalella azteca. The assimilation efficiency (AE) of Cd was compared between periphyton and TetraMin(®) at low (1510 and 358 nmol/g ash-free dry mass respectively) and chronically lethal (31,200 and 2890 nmol/g ash-free dry mass respectively) Cd concentrations and in fresh and dry forms using a (109)Cd radiotracer pulse-chase feeding technique. Assimilation efficiency of Cd from periphyton (AE=3-14%) was lower than that for TetraMin(®) (AE=44-86%) regardless of Cd concentration or food form.

Interactions of Pb and Cd mixtures in the presence or absence of natural organic matter with the fish gill.

Metal gill binding and toxicity can be modeled using the concentration addition model, in which the toxic unit (TU) concept is used to determine if constituent metals are acting in a strictly additive, less than, or greater than additive fashion. To test this hypothesis, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were exposed to a matrix of Pb plus Cd mixtures (nominal concentrations=0.75, 1.

Validation of a chronic dietary cadmium bioaccumulation and toxicity model for Hyalella azteca exposed to field-contaminated periphyton and lake water.

A model previously developed in the laboratory to predict chronic bioaccumulation and toxicity of cadmium to Hyalella azteca from a diet of periphyton was validated by comparing predictions with measurements of Cd in two exposure scenarios: laboratory-cultured H. azteca exposed for 28 d to field-contaminated water and periphyton, and Cd measured in field-collected H. azteca.

Modeling chronic dietary cadmium bioaccumulation and toxicity from periphyton to Hyalella azteca.

A chronic (28-d) Cd saturation bioaccumulation model was developed to quantify the Cd contribution from a natural periphyton diet to Cd in the freshwater amphipod Hyalella azteca. Bioaccumulation was then linked to chronic toxic effects. Juvenile H.

Utility of tissue residues for predicting effects of metals on aquatic organisms.

As part of a SETAC Pellston Workshop, we evaluated the potential use of metal tissue residues for predicting effects in aquatic organisms. This evaluation included consideration of different conceptual models and then development of several case studies on how tissue residues might be applied for metals, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of these different approaches. We further developed a new conceptual model in which metal tissue concentrations from metal-accumulating organisms (principally invertebrates) that are relatively insensitive to metal toxicity could be used as predictors of effects in metal-sensitive taxa that typically do not accumulate metals to a significant degree.

Bioaccumulation of the synthetic hormone 17alpha-ethinylestradiol in the benthic invertebrates Chironomus tentans and Hyalella azteca.

The present study investigated the bioaccumulation of the synthetic hormone 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in the benthic invertebrates Chironomus tentans and Hyalella azteca, in water-only and spiked sediment assays. Water and sediment residue analysis was performed by LC/MS-MS, while biota extracts were analyzed using both LC/MS-MS and a recombinant yeast estrogen receptor assay. At the lowest exposure concentration, C.

Toxicity of a cadmium-contaminated diet to Hyalella azteca.

Four- and 10-week chronic toxicity tests were conducted using the freshwater amphipod Hyalella azteca and Cd-contaminated Chlorella sp. as a food source. Chlorella sp.

Assessment of the toxicity of mixtures of copper, 9,10-phenanthrenequinone, and phenanthrene to Daphnia magna: evidence for a reactive oxygen mechanism.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. They are commonly present in complex mixtures with other contaminants, such as metals. The toxicities of phenanthrene (PHE) and 9,10-phenanthrenequinone (PHQ) with or without Cu were determined using Daphnia magna.

Lac Dufault sediment core trace metal distribution, bioavailability and toxicity to Hyalella azteca.

To determine changes in metal distribution, bioavailability and toxicity with sediment depth, two 20-cm-long replicate cores were collected from a lake historically subjected to the influence of metal mining and smelting activity. The vertical distribution of Pb, Cd and Cu in sediment was similar for all three metals, with the surface layers showing enrichment and the deeper (pre-industrial) layers showing lower concentrations. Toxicity of each sediment core section was determined in laboratory tests with the freshwater amphipod Hyalella azteca.

Effect of major ions on the toxicity of copper to Hyalella azteca and implications for the biotic ligand model.

The effect of major ions (Ca, Mg, Na, and K) and pH on Cu toxicity (LC50) to Hyalella azteca was determined in 1 week exposures. The simplest equation for describing Cu toxicity is a linear relationship between the total dissolved Cu LC50 and Ca and Na in water, ignoring pH. This equation would be useful in tier one of a two-tiered approach; if the measured dissolved Cu exceeds the value predicted from the equation, the sample should either be tested for toxicity, or a more detailed chemical speciation analysis can be conducted.

Toxicity of sixty-three metals and metalloids to Hyalella azteca at two levels of water hardness.

The toxicity of all atomically stable metals in the periodic table, excluding Na, Mg, K, and Ca, was measured in one-week exposures using the freshwater amphipod Hyalella azteca in both Lake Ontario, Canada, and soft water (10% Lake Ontario). Metals were added as atomic absorption standards (63 metals), and also as anion salts for 10 metals. Lethal concentrations resulting in 50% mortality (LC50s) were obtained for 48 of the metals tested; the rest were not toxic at 1,000 microg/L.

Accumulation of tributyltin in Hyalella azteca as an indicator of chronic toxicity: survival, growth, and reproduction.

The chronic toxicity of tributyltin (TBT) was examined by exposing two successive generations of the freshwater amphipod, Hyalella azteca, to sediments spiked with TBT. Survival was the most sensitive measure of effect, with lethal concentration resulting in 50% mortality (LC50) values on a water and body concentration basis ranging from 76 to 145 ng Sn/L and 2,790 to 4,300 ng Sn/g, respectively. Individual growth of amphipods was not negatively affected by TBT, and although reproduction might be more sensitive than survival, the data were too variable to use on a routine basis.

Tributyltin uptake and depuration in Hyalella azteca: implications for experimental design.

The purpose of this study was to address four aspects of the kinetics of tributyltin (TBT) in the freshwater amphipod Hyalella azteca: time to steady state, route of uptake, depuration rates, and effect of gut clearance. The amphipods accumulated TBT rapidly, reaching steady state within 14 d. Body concentrations were similar between caged and sediment-exposed animals, indicating that the primary route of uptake is via dissolved TBT.

Uptake and depuration of cadmium, nickel, and lead in laboratory-exposed Tubifex tubifex and corresponding changes in the concentration of a metallothionein-like protein.

Based on weight loss in water, 24 h is recommended for Tubifex tubifex gut clearance. Biota-to-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) in gut-cleared T. tubifex following six weeks of exposure to Cd-, Ni-, and Pb-spiked sediment were 12.

The relative sensitivity of four benthic invertebrates to metals in spiked-sediment exposures and application to contaminated field sediment.

The relative sensitivity of four benthic invertebrates (Hyalella azteca, Chironomus riparius, Hexagenia spp., and Tubifex tubifex) was determined for Cd, Cu, and Ni in water-only and in spiked-sediment exposures. Survival (median lethal concentrations [LC50s] and the concentrations estimated to be lethal to 25% of test organisms [LC25s]), and endpoints for growth and reproduction (mean inhibitory concentrations [IC25s]) were compared.