Tubifex Effects: Are Gasoline and Ethanol Harmful to Aquatic Life, and Is Their Toxicity Increased when Combined?

Overview

Objectives/Goals This study determined if adding ethanol to gasoline increased its toxicity to Tubifex worms, when compared to either ethanol or gasoline alone. Methods/Materials Five dilutions of ethanol (vodka), gasoline, and gasoline + ethanol were prepared with spring water and poured into petri dishes. Ten worms (Tubifex tubifex) were transferred to each treatment and their activity level, clumping behavior, and bleeding were observed after 0, 3, 6, and 10 minutes. Recovery in spring water was observed after 3, 6, and 10 minutes and 24 hours. Results Ethanol reduced worm activity the most, while gasoline and gasoline + ethanol equally reduced movement. Ethanol was the only treatment that caused the worms to not fully recover, causing mortality at the high dose. Conclusions/Discussion Based on the concentrations tested in this experiment, adding ethanol to gasoline did not increase the mixture's toxicity. Overall, the results of this experiment indicate that the average amount of ethanol added to gasoline today will not increase acute impacts to aquatic life, as represented by Tubifex worms.

Competition history

• CSEF 2014 Pharmacology/ Toxicology · Entry J1710

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