Acute Toxicities of a Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) and DDT Alone and in Combination to Early Life Stages of Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Abstract

Egg hatchability, mean time to hatching, and alevin survival and growth decreased when coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) eggs and alevins were exposed at 12–14 C to 4.4 μg/liter Aroclor 1254 or higher until 4 wk after hatching, and to 15 μg/liter or more until 2 days before hatching. Premature hatching occurred in all egg groups exposed to the PCB. The median survival times of fry exposed to Aroclor 1254–DDT combinations for two wk were similar to those after exposure to the various concentrations of DDT alone. The more rapid reaction time to DDT is suggested as the basis for lack of additive toxicity.