Ecotoxicity Study Using Dibenzothiophene and Mercury Chloride in "Brine Shrimp"

Abstract

This study investigated the ecotoxicity of Dibenzothiophene (DBT) and mercuric chloride (HgCl₂) using Artemia franciscana (brine shrimp) as a model organism. Acute toxicity tests were conducted to individually determine the LC₅₀ values for DBT and HgCl₂ at concentrations of 1, 2, 4, 8, and 10 mg L⁻¹. Results from the probit model revealed that the LC₅₀ of HgCl₂ was 33.11 mg L⁻¹, which is approximately ten times higher than that of DBT (3.89 mg L⁻¹), indicating that DBT is significantly more toxic. When combined, these contaminants exhibited a pronounced lethal synergy, resulting in total mortality of Artemia franciscana at all tested concentrations. These findings underscore the critical need to understand the synergistic effects of environmental contaminants and call for further research into the chronic toxicity and long-term sublethal impacts of polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles (PASHs) on marine ecosystems.