AN ANALYSIS OF RAPID SHORT TERM BIOASSAYS FOR TOXICITY SCREENING

Abstract

The literature was searched for rapid short term bioassays used for toxicity screening. Six screening tests, including the freshwater rotifer assay, Microtox, the brine shrimp assay, a lettuce root elongation assay, Polytox, and the laser/microbe assay, were compared to five standard EPA bioassays using IC50/EC50/LC50 values. Eleven compounds, including sodium dodecyl sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, cadmium sulfate, free ammonia, phenol, malathion, 2,4-D, pentachlorophenol, 1-octanol, and trinitrotoluene, were tested for toxicity in the bioassays. Statistical analysis of the data revealed the new assays to be similar in sensitivity to the EPA standard assays. While no one screen was adequate to assess the toxicity of all 11 compounds, test combinations, such as rotifer + Microtox, lettuce + Microtox, or rotifer + lettuce + Microtox, will cover all 11 compounds and are recommended.