Incipient toxicity of lithium to freshwater organisms representing a salmonid habitat

Abstract

Eventual development of fusion power reactors could increase the mining, use and disposal of lithium five-fold by the year 2000. This study has investigated potential effects from unusual amounts of lithium in aquatic environments. Freshwater organisms representing a Pacific Northwest salmonid habitat were exposed to elevated concentrations of lithium. Nine parameters were used to determine the incipient toxicity of lithium to rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), insect larvae (Chironomus sp.) and Columbia River periphyton. All three groups of biota were incipiently sensitive to lithium at concentrations ranging between 0.1 and 1 mg/L. These results correspond with the incipient toxicity of beryllium, a chemically similar component of fusion reactor cores. A maximum lithium concentration of 0.01 mg/L occurs naturally in most freshwater environments (beryllium is rarer). Therefore, a concentration range of 0.01 to 0.1 mg/L may be regarded as "approaching toxic concentrations" when assessing the hazards of lithium in freshwaters.

Heavy metals in water of the San Pedro River in Chihuahua, Mexico and its potential health risk

“…The Li amounts observed in this study are higher than results of other studies in different environments [30,31]. The most important aspect to point out is the potential toxic effects of this element in some organisms that live in water of the San Pedro River, when is analyzed that levels of 0.4 mg L -1 could be toxic to some insect larvae [32]. The Mg levels were different for sampling location, sampling month and the interaction as based on the analysis of variance.…”

New insights into negative effects of lithium on sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus embryos

“…The toxic effect of LiCl on embryonic development has been explored on different model organisms, such as squid, Xenopus , zebrafish and sea urchin 46 47 48 49 50 . The results have shown that LiCl inhibits the development along the animal vegetal axis and anterior midline of the squid embryos 51 .…”

Vanadium and lithium contamination in freshwaters of the Conchos River in Chihuahua, Mexico

“…Nevertheless, the most important aspect of these findings is the potential toxic effect in some organisms that live in water of the Conchos River when it is analyzed that Emery et al, (1981) supported a toxic effect of some insect larvae with levels of 0.4 mg L -1 . In addition, these researchers (Emery et al [23]) hypothesized a toxic effect in rainbow trout with levels of Li of 0.6 mg L -1 .…”