"Battery of Bioassays" for Diagnostics of Toxicity of Natural Water when Pollution with Aluminum Compounds

The article presents the results of an experimental comparison of the sensitivity of biotests using Daphnia magna Straus, Ceriodaphnia affinis Lilljeborg, Paramecium caudatum Ehrenberg, and Escherichia coli Migula (strain M-17) to water pollution with aluminum compounds. The research was carried out under simulated conditions: the model toxicant was aluminum sulfate Al2(SO4)3∙18H2O, the concentration range per Al was 0.04–2.8 mg/dm3, and the pH of the tested waters was close to the neutral level of 7.2–7.8. The bioluminescence of E. coli significantly decreased at an Al concentration of 0.8 mg/dm3 (toxicity index was 93.3±1.2, which refers to a high level of toxicity). The reaction of P. caudatum was weaker: a high level of toxicity was achieved at an Al concentration of 2.8 mg/dm3. These doses did not cause the death of D. magna and C. affinis in short-term experiments (28 and 96 hours, respectively). However, in the tests for the chronic toxicity of aluminum, we showed that the doses of 0.8 and 2 mg/dm3 Al cause high death of individuals (more than 50%) and a significant decrease in the number of offspring. The range of sensitivity of the bioassay methods to water pollution with aluminum turned out to be as follows: bioassay for the bioluminescence of E. coli > bioassay for the changes in chemotaxis of P. caudatum > bioassay for the changes in fertility of D. magna > bioassay for the changes in fertility of C affinis.