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Updated: May 8, 2026

Vegetated Treatment Systems for Removing Contaminants Associated with Surface Water Toxicity in Agriculture and Urban Runoff
Published on: May 15, 2017
Ecological bioavailability of permethrin and p,p'-DDT: toxicity depends on type of organic matter resource
Chloé de Perre1, Andrew J Trimble, Jonathan D Maul
1Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences and Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA.
Abstract:
Hydrophobic organic contaminants readily partition from aqueous to organic phases in aquatic systems with past research largely focusing on sediment. However, within many aquatic systems, matrices such as leaf material and detritus are abundant and ecologically important, as they may represent a primary exposure route for aquatic invertebrates. The objectives of the present study were to examine partitioning and toxicity to Hyalella azteca among permethrin and p,p'-DDT contaminated sediment, leaf, and a sediment-leaf mixture. Log organic carbon-water partitioning coefficients ranged from 4.21 to 5.82 for both insecticides, and were greatest within sediment and lowest in coarse leaf material. H. azteca lethal concentrations for 50% of the population (LC50s) ranged from 0.5 to 111μgg(-1) organic carbon, and were dependent on the matrix composition. The variation in sorption and toxicity among matrices common within stream ecosystems suggests that the ecological niche of aquatic organisms may be important for estimating risk of hydrophobic pesticides.
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