Research Product

The toxicity of cadmium to larval fish, Leiostomus xanthurus, was studied. An incipient LC50 concentration of approximately 0.2-0.3 mg/l cadmium was first estimated. Subsequent short-term sublethal tests were conducted to determine the relationship of cadmium exposure and accumulated whole body residues of the metal on the response of larvae to thermal stress and low dissolved oxygen. Results of this study indicated a significant decrease (a=0.05, t-Test) in the critical thermal maximum (CTM) for larvae exposed to 0.5 and 0.8 mg/l cadmium for 96 hours at 20°C. Significant decreases (a=0.05, X2) in survival of larvae subjected to a dissolved oxygen (D0) level of 1.6 mg/l after exposure to 0.5 And 0.8 mg/l cadmium were also observed.