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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 6079

I. Brkovic-Popovic and M. Popovic; Effects of heavy metals on survival and respiration rate of Tubificid worms: Part I - Effects on survival. Environmental Pollution 13:65-72, 1977

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Toxicity tests were performed with Tubifex tubifex in dynamic conditions. Median lethal concentrations (LC50) and the confidence limits were determined for cadmium, copper, mercury, zinc, chromium and nickel during exposure for 24 and 48 hr in four diluents of different total hardness and alkalinity. The results of our experiments indicated that the toxicity effects of all heavy metals tested on the survival of T. tubifex depended considerably upon the hardness and alkalinity of the diluent used. The relationship between 48-hr LC50 for the tested metals and alkalinity of water in a log-log system are defined as rectilinear functions. Hardness and alkalinity of dilution water have a much slighter effect upon the toxicity of mercury than upon the other metals tested.