The use of nontraditional assays in an integrated environmental assessment of contaminated ground water

• Published in: Environmental toxicology and chemistry Vol. 16; no. 9; pp. 1816 - 1820
• Main Authors: Twerdok, L.E, Burton, D.T, Gardner, H.S, Shedd, T.R, Wolfe, M.J
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Periodicals, Inc 01-09-1997; SETAC
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Field study; Fresh water environment; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Ground water; GROUNDWATER POLLUTION; Hazard; Integrated environmental assessment; Oryzias latipes; POLLUTION DE L'EAU SOUTERRAINE; POLUCION DE AGUAS SUBTERRANEAS; TOXICOLOGIA; TOXICOLOGIE; TOXICOLOGY; Evaluation; Mutagenicity testing; Toxicity; Risk; Heavy metal; Freshwater environment; Vertebrata; Carcinogenicity testing; Pisces; Water pollution; Subterranean medium; Oryzias latipes; Ground water
• ISSN: 0730-7268; 1552-8618
• DOI: 10.1002/etc.5620160908

The toxic potential of ground water contaminated with several probable carcinogenic heavy metals and halogenated solvents was evaluated using an integrated environmental assessment approach. A number of assays, which included acute toxicity, short-term chronic toxicity, genotoxicity, developmental toxicity and carcinogenicity, were used to assist in a hazard assessment. Comprehensive analytical chemistry was performed throughout the 9-month exposure to document the chemical characteristics of the ground water. An initiation-promotion protocol using a non-neoplastic concentration of diethylnitrosamine as an initiator in a 9-month chronic exposure of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) was used to evaluate potential carcinogenicity of the ground water. The fish were exposed to groundwater concentrations of 1% and 10% ground water by volume. No significant lesions were found in the Japanese medaka exposed to groundwater concentrations at 1% or 10% ground water by volume. Likewise, no genotoxicity, developmental toxicity, acute toxicity or short-term chronic toxicity, were found at concentrations of less than or equal to 10% ground water by volume. The negative results obtained in this study show that the potential hazard posed by low concentrations of a complex mixture containing suspect carcinogens may not be manifested at environmentally relevant concentrations