| Author | Thunyaporn Surapukdee |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.EV-04-28 |
| Subject(s) | Toxicity testing--Thailand, Gulf of
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, Asian Institute of Technologh; Inter-University Program in Environmental Toxicology, Technology and Management, Chulabhom Research Institute and Mahidol University |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. EV-04-28 |
| Abstract | Penaeus monodon and wtes calcarifer have been used as test species for Whole Effluent
Toxicity Testing (WETT) in order to assess toxicity of effluent that is discharged into the
Gulf of Thailand. However, these two species are not widespread in the Gulf of Thailand.
Major sources are commercial aquaculture. For protection of native species in the Gulf of
Thailand, their suitability as surrogate WETT test species was studied.
In this study, the acute toxicity of effluent from natural-gas drilling platforms, and
potassium chloride (KCl), as a reference toxicant, were conducted in two standard test
species, mysis stage Penaeus monodon (Black tiger prawn) and larval wtes calcarifer
(Asian seabass), and in newly hatched Sepia pharaonis (Pharoah cuttlefish), a native
species in the Gulf of Thailand, in order to compare relative sensitivity among these
species. The potential for use of Sepia pharaonis as WETT native species was also
determined.
For toxicity testing of KCl, a reference toxicant, the average 48-h LCso's for Penaeus
monodon and Sepia pharaonis were 0.8868 g/l (n = 3) and 0.2432 g/l (n = 3), respectively,
while the 96-h LCso for La-tes calcarifer was 1.0025 g/l (n = 3). For toxicity testing of
natural-gas drilling platform effluent, the average 48-h LC5o's for Penaeus monodon and
Sepia pharaonis were 3.2722 % (n = 3) and 0.6792 % (n = 2) of effluent, respectively,
while the average 96-h LCso of Lates calcarifer was 10.1848 % effluent (n = 3) by
assigning an LC so of 10 % effluent for the second and the third experiment where the LC5o
was greater than 10 % effluent to allow the comparison of the average LC5o's across
species.
From the species sensitivity comparisons, Sepia pharaonis was observed to be the most
sensitive species to natural gas drilling platform effluent. Their responses to the natural gas
drilling platform effluent were significantly different from wtes calcarifer (p < 0.05) but
the difference was not found when compared to Penaeus monodon though the average
LC5o of Penaeus monodon was relatively higher than Sepia pharaonis. This may be the
result of low power of statistical analysis.
Based on the results from this study, the responses of the two standard test species may not
be representative for native species in the Gulf of Thailand. Great care should be exercised
when interpreting results from WETT using these standard test species for protecting
species in the Gulf of Thailand. Sepia pharaonis could be easily cultured and handled
under laboratory conditions. Further studies in Sepia pharaonis should be conducted to
ascertain the potential to develop it as a standard test species for WETT. These results also
prove the important of carrying out similar studies in other native species to determine the
relative sensitivities. Only then can a standard test species be used to gauze the potential
sensitivities of all native species to a toxicant.
Information on the application of WETT in Thailand is limited. However, it certainly has
the potential to be used as a tool for assessing the toxicity of complex effluents. This does
require the development of standard protocols with suitable test organisms. |
| Year | 2004 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. EV-04-28 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Environmental Engineering (EV) |
| Chairperson(s) | Settachan, Daam |
| Examination Committee(s) | Preeda Parkpian;
Panida Navasumrit |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Royal Thai Government;Chulabhorn Research
Institute;Mahidol University;Asian Institute of Technology |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2004 |