Application of simple and low-cost toxicity tests for ecotoxicological assessment of industrial wastewaters.

The objective of this study was to identify and to apply appropriate biotests having the advantages of being highly sensitive, easy to run, relatively inexpensive and able to substitute fish toxicity tests due to ethical reasons of animal welfare. To perform an ecotoxicological assessment of industrial wastewaters, different microbiotests were conducted to substitute the fish toxicity test withLebistes reticulatusthroughVibrio fischeri, Thamnocephalus platyurus, Daphnia magna,Lemna minorandLepidium sativumrepresenting different trophic levels in the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Also, Algaltox FTMwithPseudokirchneriella subcapitataand Protox FTMwithTetrahymena thermophilatests were carried out. However, they could not be applied successfully for the wastewater samples. Wastewater samples from seven different industrial zones comprising different industries were subjected to characterization through measuring their physical–chemical parameters and their toxicity versus the above-mentioned organisms.T. platyurus,D. magnaandL. reticulatuswere the most sensitive test organisms investigated for the wastewaters. Considering toxic unit values, generally wastewater samples were toxic according to Thamnotox FTM, Daphtox FTMand fish toxicity tests. As an important outcome, it was concluded that Daphtox FTMand Thamnotox FTMcould be a good alternative for the fish toxicity test, which is so far the sole toxicity test accepted by the Turkish Water Pollution Control Regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]