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(W/EH022) Copper complexation and toxicity in the Huron River ecosystem, Michigan, USA. Mansilla-Rivera, Imar1, Nriagu, Jerome2, 1 2 ABSTRACT- The water quality of the Huron River affects the lives of thousands of people and many organisms that live in southeastern Michigan. Since the copper chemical speciation and its complexation capacity are critical factors in determining toxicity to different organisms, these parameters were examined in the river. However, the actual effect these parameters had on the organisms living in the Huron River was still an important aspect that had not been investigated previously. By changing the complexation capacity in samples from two different ecosystems in the Huron River, namely Ford Lake and the main stream, we were able to assess the biological significance of the complexation capacity in the Huron River ecosystem. The results indicated that even with the high complexation capacity observed in both environments (260 nM, average), an addition of more than 1 ppb of copper resulted in a toxic effect on the algae. Key words: copper, complexation capacity, toxicity, freshwater |
