CONDUCTING TOXICITY TESTS WITH FRESHWATER ORGANISMS, CONDUCTING LITERATURE SERACHES, REVIEWING DATA AND PREPARING WATER QUALITY CRITERIA DOCUMENTS FOR THE COMPOUNDS FLUORANTHENE AND NONYLPHENOL

Abstract

The Environmental Health Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Superior (UW-S) conducted tests to complete the data set necessary to derive national water quality criteria for nonylphenol. The tests were the eight acute tests specified in the "Guidelines for deriving numerical national water quality criteria for the protection of aquatic organisms and their uses" (Stephan et al. 1985). Two acute tests with plants were also conducted. The Guidelines require three chronic tests to derive a chronic criterion. Two chronic tests were conducted with freshwater species sensitive to nonylphenol. · The third chronic must be for a saltwater species if both fresh and saltwater criteria are to be developed. Acute 96-hr flow-through tests were. conducted with nonylphenol using: an annelid, Lumbriculus variegatus; a snail, Physella virgata; a dragonfly,·Ophiogomphus sp.; an amphipod, Hyalella azteca; the-fathead miru:1ow, Pimephales promelas; the bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus; rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss; and a dµckweed, Lemna minor. An acute renewal test was conducted with the cladoceran, Daphnia magna and an acute static test was condu ted with the . green algae, Selenastrum capricornutum. Two chronic exposures were conducted with nonylphenol. They were a 21 day exposure with the cladoceran, D. magna and a 91-day test with rainbow trout. The tests were conducted according to the procedures recommended by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM}when procedures existed, except the duckweed test which deviated from ASTM recommendations.