Acute and Chronic Toxicity of Soluble Fractions of Industrial Solid Wastes onDaphnia magnaandVibrio fischeri

Abstract

Industrial wastes may produce leachates that can contaminate the aquatic ecosystem. Toxicity testing in acute and chronic levels is essential to assess environmental risks from the soluble fractions of these wastes, since only chemical analysis may not be adequate to classify the hazard of an industrial waste. In this study, ten samples of solid wastes from textile, metal-mechanic, and pulp and paper industries were analyzed by acute and chronic toxicity tests withDaphnia magnaandVibrio fischeri. A metal-mechanic waste (sample MM3) induced the highest toxicity level toDaphnia magna(CE50,48 h=2.21%). A textile waste induced the highest toxicity level toVibrio fischeri(sample TX2,CE50,30 min=12.08%). All samples of pulp and paper wastes, and a textile waste (sample TX2) induced chronic effects on reproduction, length, and longevity ofDaphnia magna. These results could serve as an alert about the environmental risks of an inadequate waste classification method.