In this study, the life trait responses of a model toxicity zooplankton, Daphnia magna, to single di‐2‐ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and its mixture with Pb and Cd at environmentally relevant concentrations (50 µg L–1 for DEHP, 4.2 µg L–1 for Pb, and 5.4 µg L–1 for Cd) were investigated. The DEHP did not impact the survival rate, maturation and reproduction of D. magna. However, in the binary exposures of D. magna to DEHP and the metals, the organisms severely suffered from high mortality proportion, from 70% to 100%. The mixtures of DEHP, Pb, and DEHP with the two metals caused the significant maturation postponement of the D. magna. Besides, mother D. magna exposed to the mixtures of DEHP and metals produced much lower relatives of the accumulative offspring number, from 3.7% to 77.7%, compared to the control. Energy cost would be the root of the impairment. The combined effects of DEHP and metals in the present study help provide more environmentally realistic toxicity of the pollutants than a single one to the freshwater cladoceran D. magna which have been understudied. The results suggest that DEHP should be included in the Vietnam safety guidelines (QCVN) for water monitoring.
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