Correlation of Lethal Concentrations of Heavy Metals with Tissue Levels of Earthworms

Abstract

The objectives of this research are: To establish the LC50 of the heavy metals cadmium, copper, arsenic and mercury as well as a Cu/Cd mixture in a ratio equal to LC50 Cd/LC50 Cu, employing a chemically defined medium such as 'Aristol'; To improve procedures for heavy metal bioavailability studies in the field; To improve/develop test procedures using a chemically defined medium and 'food' in 28-day uptake studies; To analyze the tissues of the surviving test earthworms as well as those from media of lesser concentrations, blanks and background worm stock; To relate the LC50 concentrations of contaminants with the tissue contaminant levels in the earthworms utilized in the toxicity test; and To develop first generation interpretations relating soil contaminant levels and bioavailability, and to interpret the fate and transport of heavy metal contaminants.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1988
Accession Number
ADA199269

Entities

People

  • J. Y. Gal
  • Marcel B. Bouche

Organizations

  • Montpellier 2 University

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Absorption
  • Acids
  • Cadmium
  • Cadmium Compounds
  • Data Analysis
  • Elements
  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Exponential Functions
  • Heavy Metals
  • Materials
  • Mathematical Models
  • Measurement
  • Metals
  • Models
  • Plastic Explosives
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Toxicity

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Agricultural Chemistry/Soil Science
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Toxicology/Environmental Toxicology