Oligochaeta Tubifex tubifex, fish fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), hepatocytes isolated from rat liver and ciliated protozoan are absolutely different organisms and yet their acute toxicity indices correlate. Correlation equations for special effects were developed for a large heterogeneous series of compounds (QSAR, quantitative structure-activity relationships). Knowing those correlation equations and their statistic evaluation, one can extrapolate the toxic indices. The reason is that a common physicochemical property governs the biological effect, namely the partition coefficient between two unmissible phases, simulated generally by n-octanol and water. This may mean that the transport of chemicals towards a target is responsible for the magnitude of the effect, rather than reactivity, as one would assume suppose.

• Keywords
• QAAR, QSAR, acute toxicity, ciliate, extrapolation, fish, hepatocytes, oligochaeta,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Toxicity of perfluorinated carboxylic acids with carbon chain C(8) to C(12) were tested with oligochaeta Tubifex tubifex. Toxicity was evaluated as the exposure time ET(50) from onset of damage of the oligochaeta in saturated aqueous solutions. The ET(50) fluctuated between 25 and 257 minutes. No statistically significant difference was found among the C(8), C(9) and C(12) acids (ET(50) between 143 and 257 minutes with large standard deviation). The acids with carbon chain C(10) and C(11) induced the effect significantly quicker (25 to 47 minutes). No acute toxicity measured in the three-minute test was observed in any case.

• Keywords
• Tubifex tubifex, acute toxicity, effective exposure time, perfluorinated carboxylic acids, water pollution,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH