NOTES
ACCUMULATION
AND
COMMENT
OF TOXAPHENE
Toxaphenc (octachlorocamphcne)
has
been evaluated by many investigators for
its piscicidal properties. Their results indicate that toxaphenc has definite possibilities as a fish toxicant. Initial toxicity is
high, but in many instances the residual
period is extremely long. In several cases
the findings suggest that toxaphene may
have been accumulated by fish-food organisms at a time when treated waters were
still toxic to fish. Some basis for this assumption lies in the fact that during the
later stages of the detoxification of the water, caged fish showed no indication
of
L A portion of a thesis submitted to the Graduate
Faculty of Colorado State University,
by the senior
author in partial fulfillment
of the requirements
for the clcgrcc of Master of Scicncc.
TRDLIS 1.
Bionssn~~s~’ of
-____
BY FISH-FOOD ORGANISMS?
planktonic
al~inzclls (Daphnia
magna nncl II.
sublethal toxaphenc! dosage of 0.03 ppm
---TEST
Expo-
Toxnphcnc
pcrcentagc
and formuInlion
Trial
110.
. -~
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
.__- pp
SlllX!
period
(hr)
s1’2cs
Daphnia
$sofx*
“,y*
Dapilnia
fish
48
72
96 120144
.-~_____
exposed
to a single,
CONTROL
FISH
No. of fish
surviving
after
(hr)
24
.~
pulex)
AV.
WillCX
-
temp.
FISII
No. of fish
surviving
after ( hr )
(“F)
96
AV.
water
temp.
(“F)
120244
100%
technical
grade
40%
wettable
powder
100%
technical
grade
40%
wettable
powder
100%
technical
grade
100%
technical
grade
100%
technical
grade
100%
technical
grade
100%
technical
grade
40%
wettable
powder
100%
technical
grade
36
pulex
3,780
4
44444-
73
4
4
-
72
72
p&X
6,000
4
44444-
70
4
4
-
69
96
p&.X
4,500
4
4444--
71
4
-
-
70
192
nrcrgnn
4,980
4
444444
73
4
4
4
72
216
p11lCX
4,900
4
333221
73
4
4
3
73
216
pUlC?X
4,800
4
444444
70
4
4
4
71
288
pulex
4,500
4
444444
70
4
4
4
71
312
mcigna
4,500
4
444444
71
4
4
4
71
31.2
p&X
4,800
4
4444--
72
4
-
-
70
408
magna
3,990
4
444444
73
4
4
4
72
624
magna
12,000
4
444444
70
4
4
4
70
~-~
* Oncn~hynch~cs nmka kennedyi;
-cmploycd
as test
fish.
216
NOTES AND COMMENT
TABLE
2.
Bioassays
of a planktonic
animal
(Daphnia magna)
of toxaphene
217
exposed
TEST
to multiple,
sublethal
FISH
dosages
CONTROL
FISH
Da:sand
Trial
no.
Toxaphene
percentage
and formulation
dosage of
toxaphene
(mm)
1
0.01
0.13
2
0.01
0.13
3
0.01
0.1
4
0.01
0.1
5
0.02
0.1
6
0.02
0.1
Exposure
period
(hr)
100%
technical
grade
40%
wettable
powder
100%
technical
grade
40%
wettable
powder
100%
technical
grade
40%
wettable
powder
No.
Sp2=
fish
312
0. nerka
kennerl y i
312
0. nerka
kennerl yi
No. of fish
surviving
after (hr)
24
48
72
96
I20
‘(“‘?j’
96
120
Av.
water
temp.
(“F)
4
0
0
0
0
0
68
4
4
69
4
0
0
0
0
0
69
4
4
69
6
6
2
2
2
2
69
6
6
70
6
3
2
10
0
69
6
6
70
6
5
4
3
3
3
72
6
6
73
6
5
3
2
10
72
6
5
73
f::h
Av.
water
Notropis
240
SP.
Notropis
240
SP.
Notropis
120
SP.
Notropis
120
SP*
toxicity, whereas reintroduced fish populations died.
A study was conducted in the Zoology
Department at Colorado State University
from September, 1957, to June, 1959, to
determine whether accumulations of toxaphene could occur in fish-food organisms.
In controlled laboratory experiments sublethal concentrations of toxaphene were employed to simulate the detoxification
of
treated water below the level of lethality to
fish-food organisms. The sublethal concentration of 100% technical grade toxaphene
TABLE 3.
No. of fish
surviving
after (hr)
dissolved in isopropyl alcohol was determined for three species of fish; green sunfish,
Lepomis cyanellus, kokanee salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka kennerlyi, and shiners,
Notropis sp. A sublethal concentration of
the same toxaphene formulation was also
determined for the cladocerans, Daphnia
pulex and D. mugnu, and the damselfly
nymphs, Ischnura sp. and Endugmu sp.
A sublethal concentration was defined
as that concentration which produced no
greater mortality among the test animals
than was sustained by the controls. These
Bioassays* of periphyton
(Cladophora
spp., Anacystis spp., Scenedesmus spp., Navicula
Diatoma spp., and Ciliophora)
exposed to multiple toxaphene dosages
TEST
FISH
CONTROL
No. of fish
surviving
after (hr)
No. of fish
surviving
after ( hr )
spp.,
FISH
Dalzayd
Trial
no.
dosage of
toxaphene
(mm)
0.01
0.13
0.01
0.13
* Notropis
sp.
Toxaphene
percentage
and formulation
Exposure
period
(hr)
%*
fish
336
336
100%
technical
grade
40%
wettable
powder
employed
as test
fish.
Av.
water
temp.
(“F)
Av.
water
temp.
(“F)
24
48
72
96
120
10
0
0
0
0
0
70
10
10
70
10
0
0
0
0
0
70
10
10
70
96
120
218
NOTES AND COMMENT
TABLE 4.
Bioassays*
of a planktonic
alga (Scenedesmus
dosages
incrassatulus)
dosage of
toxaphene
(pm)
1
0.01
0.16
2
0.01
0.16
*
Notropis
sp.
Toxaphene
percentage
and formulation
Exposure
period
(hr)
100%
technical
grade
40%
wettable
powder
employed
as test
No.
No.
f ::h
Bioassays*
Toxaphene
Trial
no.
1
0.004
2
0.01
* Lepomis
cyanellus
24
48
72
96
120
Av.
water
temp.
(“F)
No. of fish
surviving
after (hr.)
~
96 120
Av.
water
temp.
(“F)
384
1,850 x lo5
6
6
6
6
6
6
70
6
6
70
384
3,300 x 10”
6
6
6
6
5
5
70
6
6
70
fish.
of insect
larvae
Exposure
period
(hr)
Toxaphene
percentage
and formulation
100%
technical
grade
lOOo/,
technical
grade
employed
toxaphene
CONTROLFISH
No. of fish
surviving
after (hr )
cells/L
sublethal concentrations were as follows:
green sunfish, 0.0036 ppm ( after 96 hr ) ;
kokanee salmon, 0.0036 ppm ( after 96 hr ) ;
shiners, 0.01 ppm (after 96 hr); D. pulex,
0.03 ppm (after 168 hr); D. magna, 0.03
ppm ( after 120 hr ) ; damselfly nymphs,
0.004 ppm (after 96 hr). The dissolved
oxygen and free carbon dioxide content of
those solutions containing fish were determined, and at no time dropped below 4.0
ppm of oxygen nor exceeded 12.0 ppm of
carbon dioxide. Water temperatures varied
between 68” and 73°F.
Accumulation
studies in the laboratory
involved the bioassays of four aquatic communities which were exposed to single, 0.03
ppm, and chronic, 0.01 and 0.02 ppm applications of toxaphene. The communities
were: 1) planktonic animals, 2) planktonic
algae, 3) periphyton and 4) insect nymphs.
Forty per cent wettable powder toxaphene,
as well as the previously described 100%
TABLE 5.
to multiple
TESTFISH
Datizayd
Trial
no.
exposed
as test
technical
grade formulation,
were employed. The above named fish were utilized
as test fish. In each bioassay a comparable,
unpoisoned quantity, the community under
test, was added to the control aquarium.
The results of the laboratory bioassays
indicated that Daphnia probably did not
accumulate toxaphene to a toxic level when
exposed to a single, sublethal dosage of
0.03 ppm for periods of 36 to 624 hr (Table
1). However, a mortality among the test
fish did occur when Daphnia were exposed
to daily, sublethal dosages of 0.01 and 0.02
ppm of toxaphene over periods of 120 to
312 hr ( Table 2). The latter bioassays also
suggested that Daphnia, which were exposed to toxaphene for the greatest length
of time, produced a quicker and higher
mortality when fed to the test fish.
Cultures of the planktonic alga, Scenedesmus incrassatulus, were exposed to a
daily dosage of 0.01 ppm of toxaphene for
(Ischnura spp. and Enallagma
lethal toxaphene dosages
No. of fish
surviving
after ( hr )
No.
Number
bioassayed
spp.) exposed
fzh
24
48
72
96
120
Av.
water
temp.
(“F)
to sublethal
No. of fish
surviving
after (hr.)
96
120
and
Av.
water
temp.
(“F)
120
50
4
4
4
4
4
4
70
4
4
70
120
50
4
4
4
4
4
4
71
4
4
70
fish.
NOTES AN1D<
a period of 384 hr. A 10-L sample from
each culture was centrifuged, dried and
ground. To each dried sample 20 ml of
benzene were added and evaporated so as
to extract any accumulated toxaphene and
10 ml of isopropyl alcohol were then added
to the residues to dissolve any toxaphene
which may have been extracted. The samples were reintroduced into 10 L of water
and bioassayed. The results indicated that
there was an insufficient quantity of toxaphene accumulated by the algae to incur a
mortality among the test fish (Table 3).
Periphyton ( composed of various algae,
diatoms and ciliates) was exposed to a
daily dosage of 0.01 ppm of toxaphene for
336 hr. The periphyton was then scraped
from the inner surfaces of the aquaria and
subjected to the toxaphene extraction procedures as mentioned above. Following
addition of isopropyl alcohol to the periphyton residues they were reintroduced
into 30 L of water and bioassayed for the
presence of toxaphene. None of the test
fish survived for longer than 24 hr (Table
4). In view of the results from the bioassay of planktonic algae it is suggested
that periphyton may accumulate toxaphene
by incorporating
it into the mass rather
than by absorption.
Damselfly nymphs were exposed to lethal
:OMMENT
219
and sublethal dosages of 100% technical
grade toxaphene which was dissolved in
isopropyl alcohol. These nymphs, 50 in each
experiment, were fed to green sunfish. The
results of the bioassays indicated that there
was an insufficient
quantity of toxaphene
within the bodies of the nymphs to produce
a mortality among the test fish (Table 5).
Results of the above experiments indicate
that single, sublethal dosages of toxaphene
are inadequate to produce accumulations
in fish-food organisms which cause mortalities among the test fish. It is possible
that dosages of this nature are detoxified
before they can be accumulated or that
they are detoxified below a threshold of
accumulation.
On the other hand chronic
dosages may keep pace with the detoxification rate in laboratory acquaria and permit
the accumulation of toxaphene by Daphnia
and periphyton.
It is probable that the
latter dosages simulate the detoxification of
waters which were heavily treated with
toxaphene.
RICHARD A. SCHOETTGER
Department of Zoology,
Colorado State University
JOHN R. OLIVE
American Institute of
Biological Sciences,
Washington, D. C.
THE EFFECTS OF ROTENONE AND TOXAPHENE UPON
PLANKTON OF Two COLORADO RESERVOIRS~
Limnologists
and fishery biologists are attempt to analyze the effects of two pisciconstantly seeking methods of increasing
tides, rotenone and toxaphene, upon plankfish production of inland waters. By one ton populations.
method, undesirable fish populations are
The investigation was conducted upon
eliminated by means of piscicides. The three reservoirs near Ft. Collins, Colorado.
body of water can then be restocked with
Reservoir Number Four, a single basin lake
desirable fish.
with a surface area of 60 acres and a depth
The use of piscicides in any body of of 15 ft, was treated with a water emulsifiwater may affect the plankton population.
able concentration of 60% toxaphene at a
Such changes may in turn have marked efconcentration of 0.1 ppm. Derris powder
fects on subsequent fish populations, since
containing 5% rotenone was applied at a
these organisms directly or indirectly conconcentration
of 1.0 ppm to Smith Lake,
stitute the food of fishes. This study is an
a single basin lake with a maximum depth
l A portion of a thesis submitted to the Graduate
of 11 ft and a surface area of 24 acres.
Faculty of Colorado State University,
by the senior
A
third reservoir, Reservoir Number Two,
author in partial fulfillment
of the requirements
was retained as a control.
for the degree of Master of Science.