Synthetic lipids as a biocide candidate for disinfection of ballast water.

The objective of this study is to propose the use of specific synthetic lipid as an active substance (biocide) in the control of harmful aquatic microorganisms, such as pathogens and non-indigenous species, transported in ships' ballast water. The biocide candidate, without metal or halogen components, was produced from a sub-product of the edible oil industry, the lecithin. Laboratory assays were conducted with phytoplankton, zooplankton, and marine bacteria to evaluate the efficiency of the biocide. The study also considers specific biocide's characteristics related to environmental risks, such as chemical composition, persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. Results showed that, in the first 24 h of treatment, the biocide effectively reduced the concentration of the planktonic micro-organisms to very low levels. Additionally, a preliminary risk evaluation pointed that biocide candidate has a low residual toxicity, also a low potential for persistence and bioaccumulation in the environment.

A field test and comparison of acute and chronic sediment toxicity tests with the estuarine amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus in Chesapeake Bay, USA.

A 28-d partial life-cycle test with the estuarine amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus was developed in response to the need for an assay to mimic chronic exposure to sediment-associated contaminants. To ensure that toxicity tests have environmental relevance, it is essential to evaluate the relationship between laboratory responses and field measures of contamination. Consequently, one objective of the study was to compare the results of the chronic sediment toxicity test with L. plumulosus to gradients of sediment contamination and the in situ benthic community in its native Chesapeake Bay. Chronic tests were conducted by two laboratories, the Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station ([WES]; Vicksburg, MS, USA) and the University of Maryland ([UM] College Park, MD, USA) using different feeding regimes, providing the opportunity to evaluate the effect of this variable on response sensitivity. A second objective was to compare the relative sensitivity of acute and chronic tests with L. plumulosus with field-collected sediments. Overall, there was good agreement between the toxicological response of acute and chronic tests with L. plumulosus and field measures of contamination. Survival in the acute test and chronic test conducted by WES was negatively correlated with concentrations of sediment-associated contaminants. Survival in acute exposures was significantly reduced in sediments from 8 of 11 stations. Indigenous L. plumulosus were found only at two of the three stations that did not exhibit acute toxicity. An unexpected finding was the difference in responsiveness of the two chronic tests. Survival in tests conducted by UM and WES was significantly reduced in sediments from 4 and 6 of 11 stations, respectively. No additional sublethal toxicity was detected in the UM chronic test, but the WES test detected reproductive effects at two additional stations. We believe the observed differences were related to the test diet used. Partly as a result of our findings, the recommended diet for the L. plumulosus chronic test was changed in the final methods document.

Derivation of acute ecological risk criteria for chlorite in freshwater ecosystems.

Chlorine dioxide has been proposed as an alternative to chlorine because it is a powerful disinfection agent that does not react with ammonia or chlorinated organics to form chloramines or trihalomethanes. The major reduction product formed when chlorine dioxide is added to water is the chlorite ion. Chlorite has been shown to be less toxic than free or combined chlorine. However, previous studies with eight freshwater families produced a US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) acute water quality criteria (WQC) lower than the WQC for chlorine. In the current study, an additional 12 families were added to the toxicological database to determine ecological risk criteria (ERC) using both the standard USEPA WQC methodology and the USEPA Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) probabilistic approach. Chlorite LC50 values for the 20 family database ranged from 0.27 mg/L for the Daphnidae to 208.76 mg/L for the Salmonidae. The Daphnidae were by far the most sensitive family tested, with an LC50 44 times lower than the next most sensitive family tested, the Hyalellidae (LC50=1.19 mg/L) and 214 times lower than the most sensitive fish family tested, the Ictaluridae (LC50=5.79 mg/L). The Criteria Maximum Concentration calculated using the USEPA WQC methodology was 0.025 mg/L while the 95% ERC calculated using the USEPA OPP probabilistic methodology was 0.135 mg/L. The USEPA OPP probabilistic approach yields a criterion more consistent with the overall species sensitivity distribution and is not overly skewed by the low Daphnidae LC50 as is the USEPA WQC approach.

Assessment of sediment contamination, acute toxicity, and population viability of the estuarine amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus in baltimore harbor, maryland, USA.

In Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, USA, some of the most contaminated sediments are found in the highly industrialized Baltimore Harbor-Patapsco River area. As part of a comprehensive assessment of sediment quality in this system, sediment toxicity was assessed in 10-d acute tests with the estuarine amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus. Mean amphipod survival was significantly reduced in 7 of the 25 samples tested despite the occurrence of minor experimental artifacts. The most toxic sediments were collected from Bear Creek; other areas exhibiting toxicity included the Inner Harbor and Colgate Creek. Marginal toxicity was observed in samples from Curtis Creek, Lazeretto Point, and Back River. Negative relationships were detected between survival and concentrations of select sediment-associated contaminants, whereas a very strong positive association existed between survival in laboratory exposures and density of L. plumulosus at the test sites. A weight of evidence approach, including correlation analyses, a model of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon bioavailability, and comparisons to benchmark sediment levels, was used to tentatively identify classes of contaminants that contributed to the observed toxicity. Analysis of results suggested that toxicity at stations in Bear Creek and Colgate Creek may have been driven by sediment-associated metals, whereas toxicity at stations in the Inner Harbor was likely due to both metal and organic contaminants. The observed relationships among toxicity test results, concentrations of sediment-associated contaminants, and abundance of L. plumulosus at the test sites suggests that acute toxicity tests with this species are indicative of adverse biological effects in the field.