Abstract
Coal leachates were examined for toxic effects on fish spermatogenesis. Nonbreeding mummichogs, Fundulus heteroclitus, were induced to enter breeding condition in the laboratory by exposure to 20 °C and a photoperiod of 16L: 8D for 6 wk. During this 6-wk period, mummichogs were dosed in static exposure tanks with water extracts of coal (leachates). Chi-square analysis and Z test of proportions revealed a significant reduction in sperm production by fish exposed to some, but not all, coal leachates. This reduction was as much as 40-fold and occurred in a dose-dependent manner. Ordinarily, nonbreeding mummichogs collected immediately after the breeding season will not enter breeding condition in response to 16L: 8D and 20 °C. Exposure of these photo-insensitive mummichogs to coal leachates under long photoperiod conditions for 8 wk resulted in a significant increase in sperm production. Analysis of weekly sperm production by mummichogs from six field populations, either adjacent to or 2 miles upstream from coal-fired power plants, did not reveal significant differences during the breeding season. However, this sperm production was less than 1/10 that of a mummichog field population sampled concomitantly at the Chesapeake Bay Institute. The reduced sperm levels could not be related to reproductive toxin(s) contained in coal leachate.
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