Acute toxicity and effects analysis of endosulfan sulfate to freshwater fish species

  • 31/01/2011

  • Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

Endosulfan sulfate is a persistent environmental metabolite of endosulfan, an organochlorine insecticide–acaricide presently registered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. There is, however, limited acute fish toxicity data for endosulfan sulfate. This study determines the acute toxicity (LC50s and LC10s) of endosulfan sulfate to three inland Florida native fish species (mosquitofish [Gambusia affinis]; least killifish [Heterandria formosa]; and sailfin mollies [Poecilia latipinna]) as well as fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). Ninety-six-h acute toxicity tests were conducted with each fish species under flow-through conditions. For all of the above-mentioned fish species, 96-h LC50 estimates ranged from 2.1 to 3.5 μg/L endosulfan sulfate. The 96-h LC10 estimates ranged from 0.8 to 2.1 μg/L endosulfan sulfate.