Toxicology Commons^™

Feeding Performance And Survival Of Louisiana Poeciliid Fishes Exposed To Residential Wastewater Effluent, Jonathan Chapman

Masters Theses

Mosquitoes are a primary transmitter of vector-borne disease, and their larvae can thrive within shallow pools of stagnant water. Rainwater drainage ditches are a common sight in many communities, and in Louisiana, they are dually used as outlets for onsite residential wastewater discharge in neighborhoods disassociated from municipal sewage treatment. However, when discharge systems malfunction, the water becomes uninhabitable to mosquito predators, allowing mosquitoes to thrive. This research examines the predation performance of mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis), sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna), and least killifish (Heterandria formosa), the primary biological control agents utilized to combat mosquitoes within ditch communities. Individuals were captured …

Effects Of Emerging Contaminants On Centrarchidae And Catostomidae In Midwestern Rivers: A Multiple Biomarker Approach, Camden Garret Nix

Masters Theses

Natural habitats of fish are gradually declining due to land use and pollution caused by industrial wastes, intensive agriculture and contamination from sewage systems. The United States has 14,780 wastewater treatment facilities that discharge effluent into navigable waters, and in some cases these discharge waters represent a considerable proportion of the water system flow. These activities make it critical to discern the effects of pollutants that are entering our waterways at a consistent rate, such as 17β-estradiol (E2) and nickel, on aquatic organisms. To determine the effects of 17β-estradiol on endocrine disruption in fish, Bluegill Sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) …

An Evaluation Of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Structure And Sediment Toxicity In Lake Taylorville, Sanhita Datta

Masters Theses

Sediments act as a "sink" for xenobiotics which can be accumulated by a variety of organisms and thereby enter the food chain contaminating fish, wildlife and humans. Although the chemical nature of these substances can be known by direct chemical analysis of the sediments, the significance of the contaminants and their bioavailability should be determined through bioassay techniques. A survey of the benthic macroinvertebrates of Lake Taylorville, a reservoir in central Illinois which is fed by two rivers that drain a primarily agricultural area, revealed a rather depauperate fauna. Subsequent studies were conducted in order to identify the underlying cause …

1-Nitronaphthalene Causes Ultrastructural Changes Primarily In Nonciliated Bronchiolar Epithelium Followed By Ciliated Epithelium In The Rat, John-Michael Sauer

Masters Theses

This study describes morphological changes in the lung at several time intervals following a single injection of 1-Nitronaphthalene (100 mg/kg intraperitoneal) in male Sprague-Dawley rats using transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Dilation of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial distension in the nonciliated bronchiolar (Clara) cells was apparent as early as 1 hour after injection, while adjacent ciliated cell showed minimal changes. At 6 hours, when respiratory distress was apparent in the animals, Clara and ciliated cells exhibited chromatin clumping, loss of mitochondrial cristae and cytoplasmic vacuolization. Also at 6 hours, the interstitial area around the terminal bronchioles was infiltrated …

Copper Accumulation By Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma Cepedianum) In The Charleston Side Channel Reservoir, Mark T. Christ

Masters Theses

Exposure to trace heavy metals is being extensively studied in relation to their adverse and toxic effects on organisms. Processes affecting compartmentalization, biogeochemical cycling, and transport of trace metals in ecological systems must be elucidated if the impact of trace metal releases on biota are to be understood. Because elemental cycles are often closely linked to hydrologic processes, freshwater and marine systems serve as both vectors and sinks for trace metals in the environment. The regular addition of a heavy metal into an aquatic ecosystem will undoubtedly increase its persistance for availability to the existing biota. Once in the environment, …

Cyanogenic Plants Of Illinois, Kevin E. Aikman

Masters Theses

Cyanogenesis in 50 species of vascular plants collected from east central Illinois was studied by examining 10 populations of each species. Each population consisted of 30 individuals, which gave an over all sample size of 300 plants per species. Herbarium specimens from the Stover Herbarium of Eastern Illinois University (EIU) were also tested for the presence of cyanide. More than 20,000 specimens were tested for this study which included cultivated plants, introduced weeds, and native plant species. The speed and degree of the HCN reaction as well as the specific plant part tested were included to give a more specific …

Analysis Of The Charleston, Illinois Water Supply For The Presence Of Organic Mutagens Utilizing The Ames Salmonella/Microsome Assay, Steven Lee Washburn

Masters Theses

Water samples from the Charleston, Illinois water supply and selected agricultural run-off areas were tested for the presence of organic mutagenic chemicals. The Ames Salmonella/microsome mutagenicity assay utilizing strains TA98 and TA100 was used to analyze concentrated water samples. A special set of samples was exposed to the S9 activation system coupled with the TA98 strain to simulate the mammalian metabolic system.

No mutagens were detected in any of the samples tested. Several positive and negative control systems were included in the testing system. Negative control systems were used to determine the average spontaneous reversion rates for each strain for …

Residual Phytotoxicity Of Mon-097 In Sludge Enriched Soils, Jennifer A. Woods

Masters Theses

Aerobically and anaerobically digested sludges were added to soil at concentrations of 0, 1, 5, and 10% (v/v). Dry weights of Avena sativa var. Noble plants, harvested 28 days after planting, were greater with increased sludge concentrations. Plant dry weights were consistently greater with aerobically than with anaerobically digested sludge. MON-097, an acetanilide herbicide, was applied to these soil/sludge mixtures at concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 ppm. Residual phytotoxicity of MON-097 was not significantly affected by sludge concentration. These results suggest that increased concentrations of sludge in the soil do not contribute to detoxification …

Inhibitors Affecting Bacterial Action In Reaerated Activated Sludge, Alice M. Dunn

Masters Theses

Inhibition of reaerated activated sludge was assessed using reduction of dissolved oxygen uptake by the microbial population as a criterion. Oxygen uptake is essential to biodegradation of the organic components in the activated sludge process; therefore, a decrease in dissolved oxygen uptake is an indication of reduced efficiency in wastewater treatment.

The irihibitors tested were cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, silver, 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), Terbacil and Zectran. The IIC₅₀, determined by extrapolation of plotted data, for each inhibitor in mg/l was Hg (20), Cu (50), Ag (43), Cd (115), Pb (550), and 2,4-D (430). The IIC₅₀ was determined …

The Distribution Of Cadmium, Chromium And Lead In Crabs, Clams And Oysters From Calcasieu Estuary, Louisiana, Fritz Jaenike

Masters Theses

In November 1978, specimens of oysters (Crassostrea virginica), clams (Rangia cuneata), crabs (Callinectes sapidus) and water and sediment samples were collected from Calcasieu Estuary, Louisiana. The concentrations of cadmium, chromium and lead were determined in the samples with an inductively coupled argon plasma direct reading emission spectrophotometer. Crab claw muscle, gill and carapace tissues were analyzed separately. Oysters and clams were separated into shell and whole soft tissue samples which were analyzed separately. The concentration order of the metals in crab carapace and in oyster shells was similar to that of the sediments, (Pb …

Mercury Levels In Muscle Tissue Of Stream-Dwelling Fish, Tom Frost

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Pesticide Residues In The Illinois Wild Turkey, John M. Bridges

Masters Theses

Adipose tissue from 55 turkeys, killed during the 1974 hunting season in southern Illinois, was grouped by age and location of the birds, and the pesticide concentrations in them were determined by gas/liquid chromatography. Twelve different pesticides were identified in the samples with only four, total DDT, heptachlor epoxide, toxaphene, and linuron, being present in all samples. Concentrations ranged from 0.02 ppm to 0.88 ppm.

The Effect Of Thermal Increases On The Acute Toxicity Of Copper And Hexavalent Chromium To Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus), Alan Kirk Millis

Masters Theses

48-hr, 96-hr, and incipient median tolerance limits of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus Rafinesque) to copper and hexavalent chromium were determined at temperatures of 50, 60, 70, and 80 F. Standard static bioassay procedures were used. The incipient TLm for copper ranged from 0.56 ppm to 2.15 ppm and from 22.5 to 39.5 ppm for hexavalent chromium. The 48-hr and 96-hr results were somewhat higher. The highest resistance for both metals occurred at 70 F. At 80 F, however, there was a sharp decrease in tolerance. Increased oxygen consumption and opercular movement offer a possible explanation since they would …

Pesticide Effects In A Simulated Soil Ecosystem, Raymond J. Samp

Masters Theses

The screening of pesticides to determine which were most inhibitory to bacteria was accomplished by testing the effects of 10 pesticides on 9 different organisms using the disk assay method. Results showed that Gram positive bacteria were more sensitive to all pesticides tested than were the Gram negative bacteria. In addition, the hormone herbicides were found to be the most inhibitory to these bacteria and 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), a hormone herbicide, was chosen for subsequent in vivo studies.

A soil perfusion apparatus was used to determine the effects of 2,4-D in a typical soil ecosystem. Bacterial plate counts and nutrient …

Determination Of The Ld-50 Level For 2,4-D On Wild Type Culex Pipiens Mosquito Larvae In Illinois, William H. Ettinger

Masters Theses

The LD-50 levels for 2,4-D and Ronnel were determined and compared on the larvae of Culex pipiens Linneaus mosquitoes. The World Health Organization technique for the 24 hour bioassay was employed. Ronnel served as an indicator of susceptibility to pesticides and it was found that 2,4-D is toxic to mosquito larvae with an LD-50 level of 1.95 p.p.m. It was also found that a concentration of 20 p.p.m. ethanol or greater causes lethality in the larvae.

A Study Of Organochlorine Insecticides In Freshwater Crayfish -- Analytical Problems And Biomonitoring Survey, Robert C. Vanderjack

Masters Theses

Crayfish were collected from 3 sites on Polecat Creek, Coles County, Illinois in early spring, early summer, and late summer of 1972. Pesticides were extracted from the crayfish tissue in a one step procedure utilizing a Florisil elution column. Analysis was by electron capture gas chromatography. Pesticide residues in the nannogram range were analyzed and background contamination was an important consideration. Sources of background contamination were investigated and teflon stopcocks, Florisil, and residues on “cleaned” glassware were found to be major contamination sources. Distilled water used in flushing glassware should also be considered a potential contamination source.

Aldrin, dieldrin, and …

Morphological And Physiological Effects Of 2,4-D On Gram-Negative And Gram-Positive Bacteria, John H. Rupnow

Masters Theses

Manometric, spectrophotometric, photomicrographic and quantitative biochemical techniques were employed to determine the morphological and physiological effects of 2,4-D on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

The growth and motility of Gram-positive bacteria appeared to be more adversely affected than the growth and motility of Gram-negative species. The terminal oxidation, lysis, and chain length of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria did not appear to be affected by the concentrations used. The average cell size of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was observed to increase after exposure to 1000 ppm 2,4-D. The normal leakage of amino acid and ultraviolet light absorbing cell constituents appeared …

Preliminary Observations On The Effects Of Treflan To Fishes, P. Bradley Latvaitis

Masters Theses

Treflan E.C. is a selective, preemergence, soil incorporated herbicide. Preliminary tests were made to evaluate its effects at concentrations of 0.75, 1.275 and 1.8 p.p.m. on twenty species of fresh water fishes in the laboratory. The herbicide was proven to be a powerful fish toxicant. Centrarchus, Cichlasoma centrarchus, was the most resistant fish tested, while Bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus, was among the least resistant. Treflan E.C. decomposes and degrades rapidly. It was also found to interact with plastics. Further studies are necessary to provide a complete investigation of the effects of Treflan on Fishes.

Industrial Pollution In Coles County, Illinois, Michael William Conlin

Masters Theses

The Anaconda American Brass Company at Mattoon, Coles County, Illinois was found to discharge waste containing excessive amounts of copper, hexavalent chromium, sulfates, acids, and alkalies. These wastes were found to enter an agricultural field tile system and to emit at the Shellhammer tile where they entered a small unnamed creek, a large pond along Interstate 57, and Riley Creek.

Tests of the Shellhammer tile and Anaconda American Brass Company effluent were conducted from March, 1970 thru May, 1971. Maximum concentrations determined were as follows: (1) copper -- 15.5 ppm; (2) hexavalent chromium -- 1.5 ppm; (3) pH -- range …