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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 6978

Cornelis A.M. van Gestel and Wei-chun Ma; An Approach to Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSARs) in Earthworm Toxicity Studies. Chemosphere 21(8):1023-1033, 1990

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Two-wk LC50 values for earthworms in soil were determined for a homologous series of seven organic chemicals, i.e., 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene, 2,4-dichloroaniline and five chlorophenols. The toxicity tests were conducted with two species, i.e., Eisenia andrei, and Lumbricus rubellus, and four different soil types, i.e., two sandy soils, a peaty soil, and an artificial soil. The LC50 values were recalculated towards molar concentrations in pore water using data from soil adsorption experiments. Significant relationships were obtained between LC50 values (in µmol/l pore water) and the octanol/water partition coefficient (logP(oct)) of the compounds. The described approach will be useful for developing QSARs for the toxicity of chemicals in soil for earthworms.