Toxicity evaluation of single and mixed antifouling biocides measured with acute toxicity bioassays

Antifouling biocides used in boat paints were analyzed with a battery of toxicity bioassays to evaluate the toxic effects of these compounds on Vibrio fischeri, Daphnia magna and Selenastrum capricornotum. The antifoulants tested were Irgarol 1051, Kathon 5287, chlorothalonil, diuron, dichlofluanid, 2-thiocyanomethylthiobenzothiazole (TCMTB) and tributyltin (TBT). In most cases, the sensitivity of the organisms towards the toxicants followed the order: S. capricornotum > D. magna > V. fischeri. Toxicity by concentration level had the following order: TBT = Kathon 5287 > chlorothalonil > Irgarol 1051 > diuron > dichlofluanid > TCMTB for S. capricornotum. For D. magna (48 h test), the toxicity order of compounds was TBT > Kathon 5287 > chlorothalonil > TCMTB > dichlofluanid > Irgarol 1051 > diuron. For V. fischeri (30 min test), the compound toxicity had the following order: Kathon 5287 > TBT > TCMTB > dichlofluanid > Irgarol 1051 > chlorothalonil. Degradation products of Irgarol 1051 and diuron were also tested. Degradation product of Irgarol 1051 was found to be less toxic to the crustacean and the microalga but more toxic to the bacterium. Degradation products of diuron were less toxic to the microalga in comparison with the bacterium. For mixtures of compound, toxicities were additive in only 33% of the cases and 21% of mixtures were less toxic than expected based on the sum of concentrations of toxicants (antagonistic effect). Synergistic enhancements of toxicity were observed for a majority (46%) of the mixtures. The average reproducibility of the EC50 and LOEC measurements was 27, 24 and 28%, respectively, in the V. fischeri, S. capricornotum and D. magna bioassays. For single compound, the reproducibility of EC50 was better than ±20% for a vast majority of the measurements with the V. fischeri system, thus agreeing closely with the reported reproducibility values for this relatively well-known assay. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.