• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.345-350
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• 2005

Acute toxicities of five pharmaceutical products were evaluated with aquatic microbes, invertebrates, and fish. The test pharmaceuticals, i.e., cimetidine, carbamazepine, diltiazem, acetaminophene, and metformin have been often detected in aquatic environment, but theire cological hazard on receptors of various trophic levels has seldom been evaluated. In the present study, we conducted acute toxicity assays with a marine bacterium, Vibrio fischeri, an invertebrate, Daphnia magna, and a fish, Japanese medake (Oryzias latipes). In general, D. magna, showed the most sensitive response to the test chemicals. Diltiazem exhibited the lowest EC50 value after 96 hr of exposure at 7.6 mg/L, followed by cimetidine >acetaminophen > metformin = carbamazepine in an order of decreasing susceptibility. With the fish, diltiazem and carbamazepine showed the 96 hr EC50 values at 14.1${\sim}$35.4 mg/L while acetaminophen, cimetidine, and metformin did not cause 50% mortality at 100 mg/L. Similar pattern was noted with the Microtox Assay, with which the median effective concentrations for acetaminophen, cimetidine, and metformin were found at the range between 301.8 and 755.4 mg/L. Carbamazepine and diltiazem exposure to the microbes resulted in EC50 values around 50 mg/L. Predicted no effect concentrations (PECs) of these pharmaceuticals derived from the EC5O values obtained from this study, and predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) obtained from available literatures were utilized to estimate ecological risks of the test compounds. No test pharmaceuticals resulted in risk quotients (PEC/PNEC) greater than 1, which suggests no serious potential ecological concerns. It should be noted however that further studies including the refinement of PEC derivation, identification and toxicity assessment of the metabolites and/or their interactions with other stressors may be warranted to better understand the environmental consequences of the residual pharmaceutical discharge to the waterway.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.560-568
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• 2007

The objectives of this study were to analyze ecological effects on effluents from the Sagok Stream (Chonnam province) as an abandoned mine drainage through necropsy-based health assessments and fish exposure tests, and to conduct In situ field pilot tests for restoration of stream water. Also, we analyzed water quality including general parameters and heavy metals. The tests were performed three times on April 2005, April 2006, and April 2007. Also, we constructed a reactor facility in the outflowing point of the abandoned mine for the remediation of AMD wastewater. In lab test, death rates in all three treatments were ${\geq}50%$ in the experiments. Necropsybased fish tissue assessments using the Health Assessment Index (HAI), indicated that the most frequently damaged tissue was liver (average: 20.8). Values of Health Assessment Index were lower in the control than any other treatments of T1, T2, and T3 and three treatments showed a distinct toxicity impacts by the AMD. In situ lethal test, concentration of Fe, Al and Zn decreased particularly by 85%, 99% and 94%, respectively through the disposal facility. Values of pH, ranged from 3.1 to 7.0, increased by 2.3 fold (mean=5.1) along with the reduction of metal contents. All fishes in P1 cage died 100% on 3 days later after the experimental setting, while all fishes in the P6 died 100% on 9 days later. Overall, these results evidently provide a key methodology for pilot test using the disposal facility and also clarify the toxicity of AMD once again, so this approach used in the pilot facilities here may reduce the acidic and toxic effects in the abandoned mining drainage.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.285-294
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• 2019

Objectives: For suitable risk management of the domestic aquatic environment, it is necessary to conduct toxicity tests using species native to Korea. In the present study, we performed toxicity ring tests using endemic freshwater arthropoda Neocaridina denticulata and evaluated its validity and reproducibility as an international standard test species. Methods: To evaluate the sensitivity levels of N. denticulata to hazardous chemicals, toxicity values for several chemicals were compared with other standard test species. Intra- and inter-laboratory acute toxicity tests were performed both within a single laboratory and among four laboratories respectively using 3,4-Dichloroaniline, which is generally used as a reference test substance in fish toxicity tests. In addition, intra- and inter-laboratory coefficient of variations (CVs) were calculated to evaluate reproducibility based on the estimated toxicity values. Results: The sensitivity of N. denticulata to several chemicals was found to be similar with D. manga, indicating that the species is valid as a test species. The CVs of the intra- and inter-laboratory tests were 22.946% with four qualified runs and 8.828% among the four laboratories, respectively. Conclusions: N. denticulata serves in an important role in the food chain of Korean aquatic ecosystems and also inhabits several other Asian countries. Since the validity and reproducibility of the species were confirmed as a toxicity test species in this study, further efforts are needed to establish N. denticulata as the international standard test species for the appropriate risk assessment of aquatic ecosystems at home and abroad.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.15.1-15.8
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• 2019

Corexit 9500 is a dispersant commercially available in Nigeria that is used to change the inherent chemical and physical properties of oil, thereby changing the oil's transport and fate with potential effects on the environment. The aim of this study was to assess the biochemical (enzymes and electrolyte) toxicity of Corexit 9500 dispersant on the gills, liver and kidney of juveniles of Clarias gariepinus after exposure for 21 days. One hundred sixty fish were used without gender consideration. Range-finding tests were conducted over a 96-h period after acclimatisation of the test organisms in the laboratory. The test organisms (10/treatment) were exposed to Corexit 9500 in the following concentrations-0.00, 0.0125, 0.025 and 0.05 ml/l in triplicate. Twenty-one days later, fish was dissected. 0.5 g from each of the following organs-gills, liver and kidney tissues-was removed, homogenised and tested for enzymes [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP)], urea, creatinine and electrolytes (sodium ($Na^+$), potassium ($K^+$), chloride ($Cl^-$), bicarbonate ($HCO_3{^-}$)) following standard methods. In the gills, SOD and ALT to AST ratio were significantly lower than in control while the creatinine was significantly higher in the toxicant. In the kidney, creatinine was significantly higher in fish exposed to the toxicant. In the liver, ALP increased in the toxicant while urea was decreased. The mean electrolyte concentrations ($Na^+$, $K^+$, $Cl^-$ and $HCO_3{^-}$) increased significantly in the concentration of the toxicant (P < 0.05). The alterations observed in the activities of these electrolytes and enzymes indicated that Corexit 9500 interfered with transamination and metabolic functions of the fish.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.192-202
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• 2019

Objectives: According to the central limit theorem, the samples in population might be considered to follow normal distribution if a large number of samples are available. Once we assume that toxicity dataset follow normal distribution, we can treat and process data statistically to calculate genus or species mean value with standard deviation. However, little is known and only limited studies are conducted to investigate whether toxicity dataset follows normal distribution or not. Therefore, the purpose of study is to evaluate the generally accepted normality hypothesis of aquatic toxicity dataset Methods: We selected the 8 chemicals, which consist of 4 organic and 4 inorganic chemical compounds considering data availability for the development of species sensitivity distribution. Toxicity data were collected at the US EPA ECOTOX Knowledgebase by simple search with target chemicals. Toxicity data were re-arranged to a proper format based on the endpoint and test duration, where we conducted normality test according to the Shapiro-Wilk test. Also we investigated the degree of normality by simple log transformation of toxicity data Results: Despite of the central limit theorem, only one large dataset (n>25) follow normal distribution out of 25 large dataset. By log transforming, more 7 large dataset show normality. As a result of normality test on small dataset (n<25), log transformation of toxicity value generally increases normality. Both organic and inorganic chemicals show normality growth for 26 species and 30 species, respectively. Those 56 species shows normality growth by log transformation in the taxonomic groups such as amphibian (1), crustacean (21), fish (22), insect (5), rotifer (2), and worm (5). In contrast, mollusca shows normality decrease at 1 species out of 23 that originally show normality. Conclusions: The normality of large toxicity dataset was not always satisfactory to the central limit theorem. Normality of those data could be improved through log transformation. Therefore, care should be taken when using toxicity data to induce, for example, mean value for risk assessment.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.279-285
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• 2005

Endocrine disrupting effects of four pharmaceutical products were evaluated with fish. The test pharmaceuticals, i.e., sulfamethoxazole, sulfamethazine, oxytetracycline and tetracycline have been often detected in aquatic environment, but their ecological hazard on receptors of various trophic levels has seldom been evaluated. In the present study, we conducted acute toxicity assays with a fish, Japanese medake (Oryziα lαtipes). The vitellogenin induced in female fish normally, but a endocrine disrupting chemical could give effects even male fish. We have tried 4 pharmaceutic chemicals to find out the endocrine disrupting effects. Sulfamethoxazole 1, 0.5 ppm induced vitellogenin even at male Japanese medaka. Sulfamethazine 10, 5, 1 ppm could induced vitellogenin at male fish. Oxytetracycline 10, 5, 1ppm could induced vitellogenin With the fish. Tetracycline 10, 5 ppm could induced vitellogenin at male fish. Some pharmaceuticals such as sulfamethoxazole, sulfamethazine, oxytetracycline and tetracycline could give effects to male Oryzias latipes. They could induced vitellogenin under exposure range 0.5 ${\sim}$ 10 ppm of chemicals at male Oryzias latipes.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.117-123
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• 1988

This study was initiated to understand the mechanism of selective toxicity of diazinon and carbofuran to killifish and loach. Conventional LC50 was calculated from fish test. IC50 with acetylcholinesterase activity was estimated using whole body and wet brain homogenate of the two fish species. Acetylcholinesterase activity of killifish was approximately twice as high as that of loach. The selective toxicity of diazinon to killifish and loach was partly (14 : 4) explained by the IC50 of diazoxon, a toxic metabolite of diazinon. IC50 of carbofuran also partly (14 : 3.4) contributed to the selectivity. These result suggested that the enzymatic method might be utilized as a screening tool for the chemicals affecting fish species of environmental concern with certain limitations which should be overcome in future studies.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Biology Conference
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• 2004.12a
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• pp.127-131
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• 2004

The toxicity of 54 selected process effluents of 16 industry classifications in Korea was evaluated by bioassay test using fish Oryzias latipes, invertebrate Daphnia magna, algae Selenastrum capricornutum and bacteria Vibrio fischeri. Our results demonstrate that the toxicity assessment, such as bioassay test, is effective and of practical use for industrial wastewater management in 54 selected effluents with the limitation of the physico-chemical permit. Among 54 effluents, 4 sample failed physico-chemical permit limitation and 50 passed it. The physcio-chemical measurement items and permit concentrations on the present Water Quality Conservation Act are low related a ecotoxicity.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.9 no.3_4
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• pp.91-101
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• 1994

In order to evaluate the ecotoxicological harzardousness of synthetic surfactants on Han river, Jung-ryang and Jin-Wi stream, we used the Ecotoxicological Risk Quotient (ERQ). The chemical harzardousness is evaluated by the balance of the toxicity and concentration in the environment.. Then, ERQ is defined as follows; ERQ = - log ( Concentration in the environment / Effective concentration in the test ) ERQ of chemical is a logtrighmic value of ratio of a chemical concentration and the toxicity in the laboratory. In case of small ERQ, tie chemical harzardousness is high. If ERQ equals O, the same biological effect as in the laboratory test will be observed in the enviromment by the chemicals. ERQ values of the chemicals were calculated using the maximum concentration in water environment which were cited from the annual report by our ministry of environment, and EC$_{50}$ of Daphnia magna (water flea; acute immobilization test) LC$_{50}$ of Oryzias latipes (fish; acue toxicity test) and EC$_{50}$ of chlorella vulgaris (alga; growth inhibition test), which were taken from the annual report of "Chemical in environment" by Japan EA. Liner alkylbenzene sulfonate (determined to MBAS) showed the high average values with more than 2.0 to three species in Han river and Jin-wi stream, and these results mean to be favorable to environmental safety. The areas of Jung-ryang stream were polluted, as the average values of ERQ were less than 2.0 with equal to three species, and attention should be paid. Therefore, they must be inspected again because their concentration in the environment may have changed during that period. The chemical harzardousness can be numerated with ERQ, and it can be a help to find the chemicals that should be kept under observation and to see whether the chemical pollution is improved or worsened. The determination of the chemical concentration in the environment and toxicity are essential for the effective use of ERQ.se of ERQ.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.744-753
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• 2021

This study suggests ways to improve the standard test method and judgment criterion for the "Eco-toxicity Test" based on the rules and regulations provided in 'performance and qualifying test standards for marine pollution prevention materials and chemicals' in the Republic of Korea. Compared with the relevant references of other countries, this study attempted to find the limitations in the existing standards. As for the growth inhibition test of algae using Skeletonema costatum as an indicator, applying comparative analysis to measure specific growth rates, together with statistical analysis, instead of applying current methods, judged by the appearance of colors from the culture medium was suggested. Considering the exponential growth phase of the test species, the test duration was suggested to be reduced to less than four days. For the test with fish as an indicator, resetting the appropriate body size was suggested to, show consistent sensitivity against chenicals applied during testing. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider the criteria needs, which should be established in reasonable and objective ways. For the testing species, marine rotifer, Brachionus plicatilis could be a replacement for Artemia sp., and a bivalve for fish in the test. To improve the performance effectiveness of the "Eco-toxicity test", it is worth considering the designation of accredited testing institutes, by placing it in the same loop. Thus it is also expected to have a reliable management system in place, having the capacity of cost calculation properly and adjusting testing items if required.