Comparative Toxicity of Fluoranthene to Freshwater and Saltwater Species Under Fluorescent and Ultraviolet Light

The acute and chronic toxicity of fluoranthene was determined for a diverse group of freshwater and saltwater species under both standard laboratory fluorescent light and ultraviolet (UV) light test conditions. Acute tests with 21 species demonstrated that fluoranthene was not lethal within its water solubility limit to most species tested under fluorescent light, but was lethal well below this limit to nearly all of the species tested under UV light. In general, the acute sensitivity of freshwater and saltwater species from the same class was similar, although UV light exposure changed the relative sensitivity of some species. Crustaceans were the most sensitive to fluoranthene, but in the presence of UV light, an oligochaete and a fish were the most sensitive. Overall, UV light increased acute fluoranthene toxicity approximately one to three orders of magnitude. In chronic tests, sublethal concentrations of fluoranthene were toxic under both fluorescent and UV light, but as in most acute tests, UV light increased chronic toxicity approximately an order of magnitude. Comparison of data from tests conducted in the laboratory and outdoors demonstrated that acute toxicity increased with increased UV light intensity. Received: 5 January 1999/Accepted: 22 May 1999