 |
| Purchase Information |
| Use this form to request purchase information on ASTM online subscriptions. |
|
|
Document ASTM E 729 is offered by IHS as part of an online subscription. This subscription contains many documents on the same topic.
You may also purchase this document alone from the IHS Standards Store.
ASTM E 729 Document Information:
Title
Standard Guide for Conducting Acute Toxicity Tests on Test Materials with Fishes, Macroinvertebrates, and Amphibians
ASTM International
Publication Date:
May 10, 1996
Scope:
This guide (1)2 describes procedures
for obtaining laboratory data concerning the adverse effects (for
example, lethality and immobility) of a test material added to
dilution water, but not to food, on certain species of freshwater
and saltwater fishes, macroinvertebrates, and amphibians during 2
to 8-day exposures, depending on the species. These procedures will
probably be useful for conducting acute toxicity tests with many
other aquatic species, although modifications might be
necessary.
Other modifications of these procedures might be justified by
special needs or circumstances. Although using appropriate
procedures is more important than following prescribed procedures,
results of tests conducted using unusual procedures are not likely
to be comparable to results of many other tests. Comparison of
results obtained using modified and unmodified versions of these
procedures might provide useful information concerning new concepts
and procedures for conducting acute tests.
This guide describes tests using three basic exposure
techniques: static, renewal, and flow-through. Selection of the
technique to use in a specific situation will depend on the needs
of the investigator and on available resources. Tests using the
static technique provide the most easily obtained measure of acute
toxicity, but conditions often change substantially during static
tests; therefore, static tests should not last longer than 96 h,
and test organisms should not be fed during such tests. Static
tests should probably not be conducted on materials that have a
high oxygen demand, are highly volatile, are rapidly transformed
biologically or chemically in aqueous solution, or are removed from
test solutions in substantial quantities by the test chambers or
organisms during the test. Because the pH and concentrations of
dissolved oxygen and test material are maintained at desired levels
and degradation and metabolic products are removed, tests using
renewal and flow-through methods are preferable and may last longer
than 96 h; test organisms may be fed during renewal and
flow-through tests. Although renewal tests might be more
cost-effective, flow-through tests are generally preferable.
Acute tests may be performed to meet regulatory data
requirements or to obtain time-independent estimates of
toxicity.
If the objective is to obtain data to meet regulatory
requirements, it may be necessary to limit the number of
observation times based on stipulations of the regulatory agency
and cost considerations.
If the objective of an acute toxicity test is to determine a
time-independent (that is, incipient, threshold, or asymptotic)
toxicity level, an appropriate number of observations must be taken
over an exposure duration of sufficient length to establish the
shape of the toxicity curve or allow the direct or mathematically
estimated determination of a time-independent toxicity value
(1), or both.
In the development of these procedures, an attempt was made to
balance scientific and practical considerations and to ensure that
the results will be sufficiently accurate and precise for the
applications for which they are commonly used. A major
consideration was that the common uses of the results of acute
toxicity tests do not require or justify stricter requirements than
those set forth herein. Although the tests may be improved by using
more organisms, longer acclimation times, and so forth, the
requirements presented herein should usually be sufficient.
Results of acute toxicity tests should usually be reported in
terms of an LC50 (median lethal concentration) or EC50 (median
effective concentration) at the end of the test, but it is
desirable to provide information concerning the dependence of
adverse effects on both time and concentration. Thus, when
feasible, flow-through and renewal tests should be conducted so
that LC50s or EC50s can be reported from 6 h to an asymptotic
(time-independent, threshold, incipient) value, if one exists. In
some situations, it might only be necessary to determine whether a
specific concentration is acutely toxic to the test species or
whether the LC50 or EC50 is above or below a specific
concentration.
The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the
standard. The values given in parentheses are for information
only.
This standard does not purport to address all of the safety
concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility
of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and
health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory
limitations prior to use. Specific hazard statements are given
in Section 7.
Keywords:
- acute toxicity test
- amphibians
- copepods
- EC50
- fish
- flow-through test
- freshwater fishes
- freshwater invertebrates
- LC50
- macroinvertebrates
- mollusks
- mysids
- renewal test
- saltwater fishes
- saltwater invertebrates
- static test
- test design
- test materials
About IHS
IHS (NYSE: IHS) is a leading global provider of critical technical information, decision-support tools and related services in a number of industries including aerospace and defense, automotive, construction, electronics, and energy. IHS serves customers ranging from large governments and multinational corporations to smaller companies and technical professionals in more than 100 countries. IHS been in business for more than 45 years and employ more than 2,300 people around the world.
