• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2004

Benzoyl peroxide is a High Production Volume Chemical, which is produced about 1,371 tons/year in Korea as of 2001 survey. The substance is mainly used as initiators in polymerization, catalysts in the plastics industry, bleaching agents for flour and medication for acne vulgaris. In this study, Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSAR) are used for getting adequate information on the physical -chemical properties of this chemical. And hydrolysis in water, acute toxicity to aquatic and terrestrial organisms for benzoyl peroxide were studied. The physical -chemical properties of benzoyl peroxide were estimated as followed; vapor pressure=0.00929 Pa, Log $K_{ow}$ = 3.43, Henry's Law constant=3.54${\times}$10$^{-6}$ atm-㎥/mole at $25^{\circ}C$, the half-life of photodegradation=3 days and bioconcentration factor (BCF)=92. Hydrolysis half-life of benzoyl peroxide in water was 5.2 hr at pH 7 at $25^{\circ}C$ and according to the structure of this substance hydrolysis product was expected to benzoic acid. Benzoyl peroxide has toxic effects on the aquatic organisms. 72 hr-Er $C_{50}$ (growth rate) for algae was 0.44 mg/1.,48 hr-E $C_{50}$ for daphnia was 0.07mg/L and the 96hr-L $C_{50}$ of acute toxicity to fish was 0.24mg/L. Acute toxicity to terrestrial organisms (earth worm) of benzoyl peroxide was low (14 day-L $C_{50}$ = > 1,000 mg/kg). Although benzoyl peroxide is high toxic to aquatic organisms, the substance if not bioaccumulated because of the rapid removal by hydrolysis (half-life=5.2 hr at pH 7 at $25^{\circ}C$) and biodegradation (83% by BOD after 21 days). The toxicity observed is assumed to be due to benzoyl peroxide rather than benzoic acid, which shows much lower toxicity to aquatic organisms. One can assume that effects occur before hydrolysis takes place. From the acute toxicity value of algae, daphnia and fish, an assessment factor of 100 was used to determine the predicted no effect concentration (PNEC). The PNEC was calculated to be 0.7$\mu\textrm{g}$/L based on the 48 hr-E $C_{50}$ daphnia (0.07 mg/L). The substance shows high acute toxicity to aquatic organisms and some information indicates wide-dispersive ore of this substance. So this substance is, a candidate for further work, even if it hydrolysis rapidly and has a low bioaccumulation potential. This could lead to local concern for the aquatic environment and therefore environmental exposure assessment is recommended.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2007

The use of aquatic species in ecotoxicity research is well established in developed countries. However, there are limitations of using the species that are not native to Korea, and the toxicity data produced by domestic test species are significantly needed to reflect the domestic situation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the domestic species that can be applicable for the aquatic toxicity assessment in Korea. Aquatic toxicity data were collected in the framework of the project 'Development of integrated methodology for evaluation of water environment' to obtain a range of test species used for aquatic toxicity assessment internationally. The test species collected were evaluated in terms of domestic distribution based on the reliable references and the advices of experts. We figured out the 71 test species native to Korea. They included 7 fish, 26 invertebrates (2 annelids, 2 bryozoa, 13 crustaceans, 3 insects, 4 mollusc, 1 platyhelminth, and 1 protozoan), 26 plants (9 diatoms, 14 green algae, 3 macrophytes), and 12 others (2 amphibians, 3 bacteria, 6 blue-green algae, and 1 fungus). The result of this study should be a very useful information for ecotoxicity assessment in aquatic ecosystem, especially in choosing the test species applicable for the ecotoxicity in Korea hereafter.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.13 no.1_2
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• pp.11-17
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• 1998

Cadmium, a major aquatic pollutant in many parts of the world, is toxic and readily accumulated in aquatic organisms. It mainly exists in water as complexes with organic ligands such as dissolved organic carbon and this complexation is known to have effects on the aquatic toxicities. In this study, acute toxicity, histology, and bioaccumulation were studied to evaluate effects of humic acid on cadmium toxicity and bioavailability to fish using Oryzias lalipes and Cyprinus carpio. 96h-LC$_{50}$ of cadmium was 6.38mg/L using Oryzias latipes. However, the mortality showed the dose-dependent decrease when humic acid was added to the test solution. When fish were exposed to 5 mg/L of cadmium, histological changes in the exposed organs (caudal fins, gills, kidney, liver, and gut) of C~lprinus carpio were decreased by humic acid, especially in kidney and liver. Bioaccumulation of cadmium also decreased by treatment of humic acid. It seems that the formation of complexes between cadmium and humic acid may decrease bioavailability of cadmium to fish, and thus reduce the toxic effects of cadmium.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.343-353
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• 2016

Oligochaetes distribute widely in freshwater ecosystem, and some species are used as bioindicators for water quality assessment because they are tolerant to organic enrichment. They are acknowledged for potential for environmental health recovery of organic polluted environment. There are a lot of studies on ecology and toxicity assessment using oligochaetes in aquatic environment. In this study, we reviewed literature on ecotoxicology of aquatic oligochaetes. We searched literature from a database 'google scholar' by using keywords such as aquatic, oligochaete, and toxicity. The literature were summarized according to publication years, species, test methods, and chemicals. We obtained 133 articles published from 1953 to 2015 from the database. Among them, 58 papers(43.6% of total) have been published in 1990s. Three species(Lumnbriculus variegatus, Tubifex tubifex, and Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri) have been used most frequently in the study. Different species displayed different toxicological responses to different toxic chemicals. The results on the ecotoxicological study with aquatic oligochaetes revealed the possibility of the development for early warning system using aquatic oligochaetes to monitor aquatic ecosystem disturbance.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.277-284
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• 2006

The genetic toxicity of environmental pollutants, namely, nonylphenol (NP), bisphenol A (BPA) and chloropyriphos (CP) was investigated in aquatic sentinel species, freshwater crustacean, Daphnia magna, and larva of aquatic midge, Chironomus tentans, using Comet assay. Physiological effect of such pollutants was also investigated by studying the specimens' rates of reproduction, growth and survival. Acute toxicity results showed that, as expected, Daphnia was more sensitive than Chironomus to chemical exposure. The order of acute toxicity was CP > NP > BPA in D. magna and NP > CP > BPA in C. tentans. BPA may exert a genotoxic effect on D. magna and C. tentans, given that DNA strand breaks increased in both species exposed to this compound, whereas NP- and CP-induced DNA damage occurred only in C. tentans. In vivo genotoxic data obtained in aquatic sentinel species could provide valuable information for freshwater quality monitoring. The experiments with NP-exposed D. magna showed that the pollutant has long-term effects on reproduction, whereas no short-term effect on DNA integrity was found, being an example of a false-negative result from the biomarkers perspective. This result could be interpreted that other mechanism than genetic alteration might be involved in NP-induced reproduction failure in D. magna. False-positive results from the genotoxic biomarker obtained in BPA-exposed D. magna and in NP-exposed C. tentans make it difficult to use DNA integrity as an early warning biomarker. However, as the mere presence of genotoxic compounds, which are potentially carcinogenic, is of high concern to human and ecosystem health, it could also be important to rapidly and effectively detect genotoxic compounds in the aquatic system in ways that do not necessarily accompany a higher level of alteration. Considering the potential of D. magna and C. tentans as bioindicator species, and the importance of genotoxic biomarkers in ecotoxicity monitoring, DNA damage in these species could provide useful information for environmental risk assessment.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.80-86
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• 2017

BACKGROUND: Pesticides is exposed in an aquatic environment and effected to benthic animals. Especially, sediment-associated pesticides is required for determination of sediment toxicity on aquatic organisms. This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of six pesticides (chlorfluazuron, difenoconazole, dithianon, flufenoxuron, flutianil, pendimethalin) on Chironomus riparius in aquatic ecosystems. METHODS AND RESULTS: Chlorfluazuron, difenoconazole, dithianon, flufenoxuron, flutianil and pendimethalin were used as a model compounds, which have a sediment-associated potential ($K_{oc}$>3). Acute and chronic toxicity tests on Chironomus riparius were performed at six concentrations of each pesticide with four replicates of each based on OECD test guideline 235 and 218. The calculated 48-h $EC_{50}$ values of chlorfluazuron, flutianil, pendimethalin, difenoconazole, dithianon and flufenoxuron were 6.72, 2.55, 2.27, 0.77, 0.30 and 0.11 mg/L, respectively. Flufenoxuron was the lowest 48-h $EC_{50}$ value in this study. The No Observed Effective Concentration (NOEC) and the Lowest Observed Effect Concentration (LOEC) of flufenoxuron for Chironomus riparius in 28-days test were 30 and $60{\mu}g/kg$, respectively. CONCLUSION: Pesticides of the sediment-associated have the potential effect for Chironomus riparius in aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, sediment toxicity assessment of these pesticides should be further investigated to evaluate the impact to benthic organisms.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.141-144
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• 1995

The pufferfish Takifugu vermicularis radiatus (Gukmeri-bog) was examined for toxicity. Thirty-one specimens, which had obtained from creeks of Inchon and Ansan in Spring and Autumn of 1992 and 1993, Korea, were assayed for anatomical distribution of toxicity by mouse bioassay method. Ovary, testis, liver and muscle showed very strong toxicity, and intestine and skin did moderate toxicity. Their average toxicities were moderately toxic in all. Moreover, the toxicities of liver and intestine were stronger in Spring than Autumn. Judging from the results, T. vermicularis radiatus is considered to be very harmful fish. Consequently, it is necessary to take a proper preventive step against food poisoning by pufferlish ingestion.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 2006

We developed and evaluated a method of short-term acute toxicity testing based on the feeding behavior of Ceriodaphnia dubia. In prior toxicity tests, neonates of C. dubia were hatched and cultivated with the addition of yeast only for the preparation of the transparent daphnid's gut. Scenedesmus subspicatus was supplied as food after 1 to 6 h of exposure to toxicants. The effects of 1-h and 6-h exposure time on test sensitivity did not significantly differ. A comparison of the short-term l-h acute toxicity test developed in this study to the standard 48-h acute toxicity test using heavy metals, cyanide, and pentachlorophenol indicated that the 1-h test provided an acceptable sensitivity level in toxicity testing of C. dubia..

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.271-285
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• 2014

Aluminum flows into the river from the abandoned mine leachate, industrial wastewater, and sewage and is responsible for acute toxicity in aquatic organisms. Recently, the number of reports have indicated the increased toxicity in a variety of aquatic organisms' due to the aluminum toxicity. In this study, we reviewed the toxicity of aluminum on aquatic invertebrates, fishes and amphibians and suggested the guideline for management of aluminum residues in aquatic environment and strategies for aluminum toxicity evaluation. In aquatic animals aluminum complexes evoke gill dysfunction primarily, the cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, oxidative stress, disruption of endocrine function, reproductive success, metabolism and homeostasis. Notably, at environmentally relevant concentration, aluminum complex can alter the hormone levels in fish in acidic condition. Further, since the solubility of aluminum is higher in the acidic and basic conditions, thus it is likely that the toxic effects of aluminum may not only occur in acidic water near the abandoned mines but also in lakes and rivers, where pH is raised by algal bloom.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.293-302
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• 2023

This study evaluated the acute toxicity induced by oxolinic acid (OA), neomycin-oxytetracycline combination (NEO-OTC) and florfenicol (FF) administered to guppy (Poecilia reticulata) by comparing standard formulations with commercial preparations (COOaqua curinpotion, COOaqua terafinpotion and COOaqua profenpotion, respectively) for ornamental fish at concentrations of 2-4%. NEO-OTC exhibited the highest acute toxicity in guppy, with no difference observed between the pstandard formulation and commercial preparation (LC₅₀ = 126.08 mg/L and 112.44 mg/L, respectively). OA acute toxicity was assessed in the form of sodium salt, with an LC₅₀ of 504.61 mg/L for the standard formulation and a slightly increased toxicity of 316.11 mg/L for the commercial preparation. In contrast, no mortality was observed during the 96-hour exposure period with the standard formulation in the form of oxolinic acid. The acute toxicity of FF was measured to be above 1,000 mg/L for the standard formulation; however, the commercial preparation significantly increased to 158.53 mg/L. These results indicate that toxicity can significantly increase in commercial formulations, especially those with low levels of active ingredients. This is presumed to be attributed to the organic solvents or solubilizing agents present in the commercial preparations, which may enhance toxicity. Additionally, guppy infected with Aeromonas salmonicida were effectively protected against mortality by administering OA, NEO-OTC and FF at concentrations of 50 mg/L, 100 mg/L and 15 mg/L, respectively, for 2 hours and at half the dose for 24 hours. This result indicates that liquid formulations containing low concentrations of antibiotics may partially increase toxicity, but there is no problem in effectively treating diseases in ornamental fish.