Abstract
Experiments were performed in flow-through apparatus to determine the acute toxicity of zinc, cadmium, and their mixtures toDaphnia magna in order to compare sensitivity ofDaphnia relative to that of other organisms and to determine if the metal mixture behaves differently than expected on the basis of single metal experiments. Dosage-mortality curves are derived forDaphnia populations exposed to zinc and cadmium for 36, 48, 60, 72, and 96 hr periods. Similar curves are derived forDaphnia exposed to equally potent mixtures of zinc and cadmium as calculated from initial experiments and forDaphnia exposed to equal concentration mixtures of the metals. Cadmium is more toxic than zinc, but zinc-cadmium mixtures are less toxic than expected.Daphnia magna is considerably more sensitive to these metals than are other invertebrates and vertebrates previously studied. This study demonstrates errors which can arise in attempts to set water quality criteria based upon short term studies of organisms with long life spans.
Published Version
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