B. S. Khangarot

Bio: B. S. Khangarot is an academic researcher from Indian Institute of Toxicology Research. The author has contributed to research in topics: Tubifex tubifex & Acute toxicity. The author has an hindex of 11, co-authored 15 publications receiving 506 citations.

Toxicity of metals to a freshwater tubificid worm, Tubifex tubifex (Muller).

Abstract: Salts of various metals are being released in ever increasing amounts into the aquatic environment from mining operations, metal processing facilities, chemical industries and other similar sources. Although there has been considerable study of the acute and chronic toxicities of metals to freshwater fishes, crustaceans and snails, little information is available on the effects of metals to tubificid worms which are widely distributed in the aquatic environment. Tubificid worms are useful indicators of varying degrees of aquatic pollution. It is suggested that tubificid worms are an important element in the aquatic environment and therefore their use as a bioassay organism is logical one. The present study was undertaken to determine the acute toxicities of various metals to a fresh-water tubificid worm, Tubifex tubifex (Muller), which form an important link in aquatic food chain(s).

Correlation between heavy metal acute toxicity values in Daphnia magna and fish.

Abstract: In the toxicant bioassays, invertebrates with special reference to aquatic arthropod species have been of recent interest as test models due to the need for developing nonmammalian tests system. The cladoceran Daphnia magna bioassays have several practical advantages. D. magna has been used as a useful test species and its sensitivity to environmental pollutants have been recognized as a general representative of other freshwater zooplankton species. The objectives of this study were to determine the acute toxicity of various heavy metals to Daphnia magna for 48 h of exposure and to compare these values with the existing LC50 values for rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri); which is commonly used as a test animal in aquatic bioassay studies.

Effects of Water Hardness and Metal Concentration on a Freshwater Tubifex Tubifex Muller

Abstract: The present investigation was designed to determine the effectsof water hardness and heavy metals concentrations on a freshwaterTubifex tubifex. Very few data concerning the effect of water hardness on the acute toxicity of heavy metals are available on T. tubifex, which has been proposed as a testorganism for ecotoxicological studies. The effect of water hardness on the toxicity of heavy metals is discussed. The acutetoxicity of selected heavy metals to a freshwater T. tubifex Muller was determined in very soft, soft, hard and veryhard (12, 45, 170 and 300 mg CaCO3 L-1 total hardness,respectively) water. Percentage mortality of T. tubifex as influenced by heavy metals was studied in water of variable hardness. Water hardness had a significant effect on heavy metalstoxicity. The concentrations of metals necessary to immobilize 50% of the test animals at 24, 48, 72, 96 hr were significantlydifferent in soft and hard water. The 96 hr EC50 valuesfor T. tubifex were higher in hard and very hard watercompared with soft and very soft water. Median effectiveconcentrations (EC50) and their 95% confidence limits weredetermined for cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, and zinc during exposure for 24, 48,72 and 96 hr in four different water hardness. Hardness has a muchsmaller effect upon the acute toxicity of mercury than the otherheavy metals tested. The results indicate that Cu, Cd, Hg and Zninduced autotomy of the caudal region and mucus production. It isconcluded that water hardness parameters should be considered inestablishing appropriate water quality criteria and standards forthe protection of aquatic fauna and flora, and ultimately human health.

Sensitivity of toad tadpoles, Bufo melanostictus (Schneider), to heavy metals.

Abstract: Amphibian larval stages have several qualities which make them as a useful indicator of harmful levels of pollutants in bioassay tests. Amphibian tadpoles show a variety of sublethal responses such as changes in growth, development rates, pigmentation and expression of morphological deformities in a lesser time of exposure to the environmental pollutants. The objective of the work reported in this paper was to determine the acute toxicity of cadmium, copper, chromium, mercury, nickel, silver and zinc to the tadpoles of toad Bufo melanostictus (Schneider), which is commonly available and breed in aquatic habitats exhibiting a wide range of temperature and varying water quality.

Interactive effects of metal pollution and temperature on metabolism in aquatic ectotherms: implications of global climate change

Abstract: In light of the current rising mean temperatures and fluctuations in temperature extremes involved in global climate change, a cause-and-effect understanding of the temperature- dependent impacts of additional environmental stressors on marine life is crucial for the elaboration of how marine ecosystems will shape in the future. The thermal environment plays a direct role in the distribution and survival of marine ectotherms through the temperature-dependent effects on their physiology, as well as indirectly by affecting the organism's susceptibility to other biotic and abiotic stressors. We review studies that have investigated the effects of temperature and anthropogenic pol- lution by trace metals, with a focus on metabolic regulation as a major mechanism that underlies the interactive effects of temperature and metals on the physiology and survival of ectotherms. These studies suggest that impairment of energy metabolism plays a key role in the synergistic effects of these stressors, and we elaborate a mechanistic framework for understanding these interactions. Fur- thermore, the present study seeks to provide an impetus for future investigations in order to define more precisely the physiological mechanisms and functional properties of temperature-pollution interactions.

Tin Hazards to Fish, Wildlife, and Invertebrates: A Synoptic Review.

Abstract: : Interest in the toxicity of tin compounds dates to the early 1800's when investigators demonstrated that inorganic tin compounds produced muscular weakness, loss of pain sensation, and immobility in dogs (Reiter and Ruppert 1984; Idemudia and McMillan 198Gb). In man, organotins can be assimilated by inhalation, absorption through the skin, and from food and drinking water (Zuckerman et al. 1978). The first documented case of organotin poisoning of humans was in 1880 when workers complained of headaches, general weakness, nausea, and diarrhea after exposure to triethyltin acetate vapors (Reiter and Ruppert 1984). Renewed interest in the toxicity of organotin compounds resulted from a medical tragedy in France in 1954. Stalinon, a proprietary compound of diethyltin diiodide plus linoic acid used to treat furuncles and other skin infections, caused 217 poisonings and 111 deaths (Piver 1973; Duncan 1980; Idemudia and McMillan 198Gb). The identified toxic components in Stalinon were triethyltin contaminants; victims received a total dose of 3 grams over a 6- to 8-week period. Symptoms included constant severe headache, rapid weight loss, vomiting, urine retention, vertigo, hypothermia, abdominal pain, and visual and psychic disturbances. Some of the more severely affected patients had convulsions. Death usually occurred in coma or from respiratory or cardiac failure. In survivors, headaches and diminished visual acuity remained for at least 4 years.

Aquatic insects and trace metals: bioavailability, bioaccumulation, and toxicity.

Abstract: The uptake of metals from food and water sources by insects is thought to be additive. For a given metal, the proportions taken up from water and food will depend both on the bioavailable concentration of the metal associated with each source and the mechanism and rate by which the metal enters the insect. Attempts to correlate insect trace metal concentrations with the trophic level of insects should be made with a knowledge of the feeding relationships of the individual taxa concerned. Pathways for the uptake of essential metals, such as copper and zinc, exist at the cellular level, and other nonessential metals, such as cadmium, also appear to enter via these routes. Within cells, trace metals can be bound to proteins or stored in granules. The internal distribution of metals among body tissues is very heterogeneous, and distribution patterns tend to be both metal and taxon specific. Trace metals associated with insects can be both bound on the surface of their chitinous exoskeleton and incorporated into body tissues. The quantities of trace meals accumulated by an individual reflect the net balance between the rate of metal influx from both dissolved and particulate sources and the rate of metal efflux from the organism. The toxicity of metals has been demonstrated at all levels of biological organization: cell, tissue, individual, population, and community. Much of the literature pertaining to the toxic effects of metals on aquatic insects is based on laboratory observations and, as such, it is difficult to extrapolate the data to insects in nature. The few experimental studies in nature suggest that trace metal contaminants can affect both the distribution and the abundance of aquatic insects. Insects have a largely unexploited potential as biomonitors of metal contamination in nature. A better understanding of the physicochemical and biological mechanisms mediating trace metal bioavailability and exchange will facilitate the development of general predictive models relating trace metal concentrations in insects to those in their environment. Such models will facilitate the use of insects as contaminant biomonitors.

Handbook of chemical risk assessment : health hazards to humans, plants, and animals

Abstract: VOLUME 1 - Metals Cadmium Chromium Copper Lead Mercury Nickel Silver Tin Zinc VOLUME 2 - Organics Acrolein Atrazine Carbofluran Chlordane Chlorpyrifos Cyanide Diazinon Diflubenzuron Dioxins Famphur Fenvalerate Mirex Paraquat Pentachlorophenol Polychlorinated Biphenyls Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Sodium Monofluoroacetate Toxaphane VOLUME 3 - Metaloids, Radiation, Index Arsenic Boron Molybdenum Selenium Radiation Index

Applying species-sensitivity distributions in ecological risk assessment: assumptions of distribution type and sufficient numbers of species

Abstract: Species-sensitivity distribution methods assemble single-species toxicity data to predict hazardous concentrations (HCps) affecting a certain percentage (p) of species in a community. The fit of the lognormal model and required number of individual species values were evaluated with 30 published data sets. The increasingly common assumption that a lognormal model best fits these data was not supported. Fifteen data sets failed a formal test of conformity to a lognormal distribution; other distributions often provided better fit to the data than the lognormal distribution. An alternate bootstrap method provided accurate estimates of HCp without the assumption of a specific distribution. Approximate sample sizes producing HC5 estimates with minimal variance ranged from 15 to 55, and had a median of 30 species-sensitivity values. These sample sizes are higher than those suggested in recent regulatory documents. A bootstrap method is recommended that predicts with 95% confidence the concentration affecting 5% or fewer species.