Toxicity of sediments from lead-zinc mining areas to juvenile freshwater mussels (Lampsilis siliquoidea) compared to standard test organisms

Environ Toxicol Chem. 2015 Mar;34(3):626-39. doi: 10.1002/etc.2849. Epub 2015 Feb 10.

Abstract

Sediment toxicity tests compared chronic effects on survival, growth, and biomass of juvenile freshwater mussels (28-d exposures with Lampsilis siliquoidea) to the responses of standard test organisms-amphipods (28-d exposures with Hyalella azteca) and midges (10-d exposures with Chironomus dilutus)-in sediments from 2 lead-zinc mining areas: the Tri-State Mining District and Southeast Missouri Mining District. Mussel tests were conducted in sediments sieved to <0.25 mm to facilitate recovery of juvenile mussels (2-4 mo old). Sediments were contaminated primarily with lead, zinc, and cadmium, with greater zinc and cadmium concentrations in Tri-State sediments and greater lead concentrations in southeast Missouri sediments. The frequency of highly toxic responses (reduced 10% or more relative to reference sites) in Tri-State sediments was greatest for amphipod survival (25% of samples), midge biomass (20%), and mussel survival (14%). In southeast Missouri sediments, the frequency of highly toxic samples was greatest for mussel biomass (25%) and amphipod biomass (13%). Thresholds for metal toxicity to mussels, expressed as hazard quotients based on probable effect concentrations, were lower for southeast Missouri sediments than for Tri-State sediments. Southeast Missouri sites with toxic sediments had 2 or fewer live mussel taxa in a concurrent mussel population survey, compared with 7 to 26 taxa at reference sites. These results demonstrate that sediment toxicity tests with juvenile mussels can be conducted reliably by modifying existing standard methods; that the sensitivity of mussels to metals can be similar to or greater than standard test organisms; and that responses of mussels in laboratory toxicity tests are consistent with effects on wild mussel populations.

Keywords: Freshwater mussels; Laboratory-field comparison; Mining; Reference envelope; Sediment toxicity.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amphipoda / drug effects
  • Amphipoda / growth & development
  • Animals
  • Biomass
  • Bivalvia / drug effects*
  • Fresh Water*
  • Geologic Sediments / chemistry*
  • Lead / toxicity*
  • Mining*
  • Porosity
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Toxicity Tests
  • United States
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / toxicity*
  • Zinc / toxicity*

Substances

  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • Lead
  • Zinc