Evaluation of a bioassay battery for water toxicity testing: A Chilean experience

Abstract

The performance of a multitrophic level bioassay battery for detecting toxic effects from 24 blind samples was evaluated. Assays performed included (1) acute toxicity using Daphnia magna, Hydra attenuata, Panagrellus redivivus, Lactuca sativa, and Allium cepa L; (2) chronic or sublethality using Hydra and Panagrellus; and (3) mutagenicity using Fluctuation (Muta-ChromoPlate kit) and Panagrellus redivivus. Ideally, the bioassay battery should be simple, inexpensive, and multitrophic and have wide-spectrum response to toxic substances, fast delivery results (<5 days), and supplies locally available. The response of the selected core of bioassays was found to be satisfactory. Toxicity rankings, estimated by comparing the highest expected response from each sample concentration of each bioassay, were the following: for acute toxicity Allium (87%), Lactuca (86%), Daphnia (67%), Hydra (43%), and Panagrellus (38%); for sublethality Hydra (74%) and Panagrellus (70%); and for mutagenicity Fluctuation (62%) and Panagrellus (58%). The samples tested contained the following toxicants: heavy metals (As+5, Cd+2, Cr+6, Cu+2, Hg+2, and Zn+2); organics (dinitrophenol, aniline, nitroquinoline, nonylphenol, and pentachlorophenol); and pesticides (aldrin, metolachlor, and lindane). Allium, Daphnia, and Lactuca were highly sensitive for detecting acute toxicity from copper, chromium, cadmium, mercury, pentachlorophenol, nonylphenol, nitroquinoline, aniline, aldrin, p,p′-DDT, lindane, and metolachlor; Hydra demonstrated high lethality for zinc, nitroquinoline, and the pesticides. Sublethality for the majority of chemicals was well detected with Hydra. Detection of mutagenicity from metals, organic compounds, and pesticides was in some cases similar and in others complementary with the Fluctuation and Panagrellus tests. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Environ Toxicol 15: 331–337, 2000