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Chronic toxicity of 4-nonylphenol to two unionid mussels in water-only exposures

Chris D. Ivey·Ning Wang·David A. Alvarez·Edward J. Hammer·Candice R. Bauer
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Abstract

Limited studies indicate that mussels are generally insensitive to organic chemicals; however, these studies were conducted in acute or short-term exposures, and little is known about the chronic sensitivity of mussels to organic chemicals. We evaluated the chronic (28 days) toxicity of 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) to two commonly tested species of mussels: fatmucket ( Lampsilis siliquoidea ) and rainbow mussel (Villosa iris). By the end of the 28 days chronic exposures, mean survival was ≥93% in all treatments, but the mean dry weight and biomass of mussels at the highest exposure concentrations were significantly reduced relative to the control. The 20% effect concentrations were similar between the two species. When compared to all other tested species, fatmucket and rainbow mussels are among the top four most sensitive species to 4-NP. However, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chronic water quality criterion of 6.6 μg 4-NP/L should protect the two mussel species.

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Chris D. Ivey, Ning Wang, David A. Alvarez, Edward J. Hammer, Candice R. Bauer. 2018-08-21. Chronic toxicity of 4-nonylphenol to two unionid mussels in water-only exposures. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-018-2422-5

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