Toxicity of four common pollutants to the freshwater macroinvertebrates Chironomus riparius Meigen (Insecta:Diptera) and Gammarus pulex (L.) (Crustacea: Amphipoda).

The lethal toxicities of the four pollutants 3,4-dichloroaniline (DCA), atrazine, copper, and lindane were determined for the 2nd larval instar of the insect Chironomus riparius Meigen and the juvenile stage (2nd or 3rd moult) of the crustacean Gammarus pulex (L.). Median lethal concentrations (LC50s) were determined over a 240 h test period. The order of toxicity of the test chemicals is different for each species. For C. riparius, lindane was the most toxic, followed by copper, DCA, and atrazine. During the first 96 h of exposure, the order for G. pulex was copper, lindane, then DCA and atrazine with similar LC50 values. However, at 240 h lindane replaced copper as the most toxic chemical to G. pulex. The relative sensitivity of the two species was dependent on both the toxicant and the exposure period. The lethal concentrations determined for the four chemicals are compared to the results of other toxicity studies and discussed with respect to current standard test methods.