Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

The Effects Of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate On The Abundance Of Producers And Grazers In Aquatic Communities Using Freshwater Microcosms, Stephanie R. Shipley

Honors College Theses

With increases in environmental awareness, industry has responded with products that reduce negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a rapidly degrading chemical commonly found in cleaners labeled as ‘environmentally friendly,’ has been shown to have low toxicity in single species toxicity tests. However, that organisms have different sensitivities to SLS suggests a need for measuring effects at the community level. We exposed communities of microalgae (Chlorella sp.) and invertebrate grazers (a benthic snail, Elimia sp. and pelagic microcrustacean Daphnia magna) to 0, 0.5 or 1.5 mgL^-1 SLS. Water quality and invertebrate abundance were measured …