PARENT SESSION
PT5 - Fate & Effects of Metals: Aquatic Biology
Tuesday, 19 November 2002
8:00 AM to 6:30 PM
Exhibit Hall
(P596) Influence of Salt Source on Synthetic Saltwater Quality.
Bielmyer, Gretchen*,1, Tomasso, Joseph1, Arnold, Ray2, Lee, Christopher3, Klaine, Stephen1, 1 Clemson University, Pendleton, SC, USA2 Copper Development Association, New York, New York, USA3 International Copper Association, New York, New York, USA
ABSTRACT- Reconstituted waters are often used in toxicity testing. Pre-mixed salt solutions are thought to mimic environmental conditions while providing a stabile medium throughout the length of the test. It is well known that water quality conditions directly impact the results of toxicity experiments. Therefore, equilibration times of elements in the mixtures are of importance particularly for saltwater. Experiments were conducted to assess the change in water quality conditions in 7 commercial sea salt solutions and ocean water over 96 hours. This work was performed to characterize the minimum equilibration time for these salts prior to initiating bioassays. Collection times were at 0, 4, 8, 24, 48, and 96 hours. Water alkalinity, hardness, pH, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and mineral content were measured at each collection time. Linear regression analyses indicated that 31% of the measured water quality characteristics changed significantly during the 96-h study. These water quality characteristics were entered into the biotic ligand model (BLM) to estimate copper speciation and effect concentration (EC50) values for Mytelis edulis. Results of these experiments have implications for toxicity testing.
Key words: Saltwater, Copper, Speciation