TOXICITY CHARACTERIZATION OF AN INDUSTRIAL AND A MUNICIPAL EFFLUENT DISCHARGING TO THE MARINE-ENVIRONMENT

Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE) methods have proven very usef ul in characterizing, identifying and confirming toxicants in environm ental samples. This report describes the characterization of toxicants present in two effluents, industrial and municipal, discharged into t he marine environment. A toxicity characterization consists of dividin g an effluent sample into several relatively unique chemical fractions . Manipulations used to generate these fractions include aeration, fil tration, chelation, oxidant reduction, reverse phase chromatography, a nd graduated pH adjustments. Marine toxicity tests used include mysids (Mysidopsis bahia), fish (Menidia beryllina and Cyprinodon variegatus ), macroalga (Champia parvula) and sea urchins (Arbacia punctulata). R esults of this TIE demonstrated that both effluents contained toxicity predominantly due to metals and organic contaminants, Ammonia toxicit y in the municipal effluent was sample dependent. This study illustrat es that the use of marine toxicity tests, TIE procedures and historica l data can be combined to better understand the nature of toxicity dis charged to the marine environment.