A Small-Scale Setup for Algal Toxicity Testing of Nanomaterials and Other Difficult Substances

Summary

We demonstrate algal toxicity testing for difficult substances (e.g., colored substances or nanomaterials) using a setup illuminated vertically with an LED.

Abstract

Ecotoxicity data is a requirement for pre- and post-market registration of chemicals by European and international regulations (e.g., REACH). The algal toxicity test is frequently used in regulatory risk assessment of chemicals. In order to achieve high reliability and reproducibility the development of standardized guidelines is vital. For algal toxicity testing, the guidelines require stable and uniform conditions of parameters such as pH, temperature, carbon dioxide levels and light intensity. Nanomaterials and other so-called difficult substances can interfere with light causing a large variation in results obtained hampering their regulatory acceptance. To address these challenges, we have developed LEVITATT (LED Vertical Illumination Table for Algal Toxicity Tests). The setup utilizes LED illumination from below allowing for a homogenous light distribution and temperature control while also minimizing intra-sample shading. The setup optimizes the sample volume for biomass quantification and does at the same time ensure a sufficient influx of CO₂ to support exponential growth of the algae. Additionally, the material of the test containers can be tailored to minimize adsorption and volatilization. When testing colored substances or particle suspensions, the use of LED lights also allows for increasing the light intensity without additional heat generation. The compact design and minimal equipment requirements increase the possibilities for implementation of the LEVITATT in a wide range of laboratories. While compliant with standardized ISO and OECD guidelines for algal toxicity testing, LEVITATT also showed a lower inter-sample variability for two reference substances (3,5-Dicholorophenol and K₂Cr₂O₇) and three nanomaterials (ZnO, CeO₂, and BaSO₄) compared to Erlenmeyer flasks and microtiter plates.

Introduction

The algal toxicity test is one of only three mandatory tests used to generate the ecotoxicity data required for pre- and post-market registration of chemicals by European and international regulations (e.g., REACH¹ and TSCA (USA)). For this purpose, standardized algal test guidelines have been developed by international organizations (e.g., ISO and OECD). These testing standards and guidelines prescribe ideal test conditions in terms of pH, temperature, carbon dioxide levels and light intensity. However, maintaining stable test conditions during algal testing is in practice difficult and the results suffer from problems with reproducibility and....

Protocol

1. Description of the LEVITATT setup

1. Use 20 mL scintillation glass vials (Figure 1, insert 1) allowing light penetration. Alternatively, light penetrable plastic vials can be used. Quantify the light intensity using a photometer.
2. Use at least a 4 mL test suspension at the beginning of the test to allow for quantification of biomass and for characterization/quantification of nanomaterials during and after incubation (Figure 1, insert 2).
3. Fit the 20 mL scintillation vials with a cap (Figure 1, insert 3) where a small hole is drilled (approximately 1 ....

Results

An initial test with a reference substance is carried out to determine the sensitivity of the algal strain. Reference substances regularly used for R. subcapitata are potassium dichromate and 3,5-Dichlorphenol^7,8. Figure 3 and Table 2 show a representative result of an algal test including curve fitting and statistical outputs when the DRC package in R is applied to the growth rates.

Discussion

Phytoplankton converts solar energy and carbon dioxide to organic matter and thus holds a pivotal role in the aquatic ecosystem. For this reason, algal growth rate inhibition tests are included as one of three mandatory aquatic toxicity tests required for regulatory risk assessment of chemicals. The ability to perform a reliable and reproducible algal toxicity test is key in this regard. Test setups using Erlenmeyer flasks introduces a range of variabilities and inconveniences as described in the introduction. To circumv.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Acetone	Sigma-Aldrich	V179124
Ammonium chloride	Sigma-Aldrich	254134
BlueCap bottles (1L)	Buch & Holm A/S	9072335
Boric acid	Sigma-Aldrich	B0394
Calcium chloride dihydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	208290
Clear acrylic sheet (40x40 cm)
Cobalt(II) chloride hexahydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	255599
Copper(II) chloride dihydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	307483
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt dihydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	E5134
Fluorescence Spectrophotometer F-7000	Hitachi
Hydrochloric acid	Sigma-Aldrich	258148
Iron(III) chloride hexahydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	236489
LED light source	Helmholt Elektronik A/S	H35161	Neutral White, 6500K
Magnesium chloride hexahydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	M9272
Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	230391
Manganese(II) chloride tetrahydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	221279
Orbital shaker	IKA	2980200
Potassium phosphate monobasic	Sigma-Aldrich	P0662
Raphidocelis subcapitata	NORCCA		NIVA-CHL1 strain
Scintillation vials (20 mL)	Fisherscientific	11526325
Sodium bicarbonate	Sigma-Aldrich	S6014
Sodium hydroxide	Sigma-Aldrich	415413
Sodium molybdate dihydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	331058
Spring clamp	Frederiksen Scientific A/S	472002
Thermostatic cabinet	VWR	WTWA208450	Alternative: temperature controlled room
Ventilation pipe (Ø125 mm)	Silvan	22605630165
Volumetric flasks (25 mL)	DWK Life Sciences	246781455
Zinc chloride	Sigma-Aldrich	208086