Abstract
The discharge of synthetic surfactants into the environment poses a serious threat to natural water bodies, as even at relatively low concentrations, they harm the biological processes of aquatic organisms. The molecules of dissolved detergents, by wedging themselves between water molecules, weaken the surface film. The hydrophilic part promotes the dissolution of the substance in water, while the hydrophobic part repels it. As a result, the entire water surface is covered with a peculiar film, which leads to the accumulation of toxic substances and a decrease in the oxygen concentration in the aquatic environment. To study the impact of surfactants on living organisms, we assess the ecological impact of synthetic surfactants on the biota of natural water bodies. We performed toxicological bioassays of aqueous solutions with low concentrations of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate on the crustacean Daphnia magna, which serves as a standard test organism both in Ukraine and abroad. The concentration of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate that caused the mortality of 50% of test organisms (LC50) was determined, and the degree of toxicity of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate to aquatic ecosystems was found according to the EU Directive 93/67/EEC.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Abramzon, A.A., Zaichenko, L.P., and Faingol’d, S.I., Poverkhnostno-aktivnye veshchestva: svoistva i primenenie (Surfactants: Properties and Application), Leningrad: Khimiya, 1988.
Mozhaev, E.A., Zagryaznenie vodoemov poverkhnostno-aktivnymi veshchestvami (Pollution of Reservoirs with Surfactants), Moscow: Meditsina, 1976.
Trikulenko, V.I., Biochemical activity of a number of new detergents and the level of their harmlessness when entering a water body, Gig, Sanit., 1978, no. 3, pp. 14–18.
Arkhipchuk, V.V. and Malinovskaya, M.V., The application of a comprehensive approach in the biotesting of natural waters, Khim. Tekhnol. Vody, 2000, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 428–443.
DSTU 4173:2003. Water Quality. Determination of Acute Lethal Toxicity on Daphnia magna Straus and Ceriodaphnia affinis Lilljeborg (Cladosera, Crustacea).
ISO 6341:1996. Water Quality. Determination of the Inhibition of the Mobility of Daphnia magna Straus (Cladocera, Crustacea).
EU Commission Directive 93/67/EEC of July 20, 1993. Laying down the principles for assessment of risks to man and the environment of substances notified in accordance with Council Directive 67/548/EEC. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A31993L0067.
Trikulenko, V.I., The biochemical effect of a number of new detergents and the level of their harmlessness when entering water bodies, Gig. Sanit., 1978, no. 3, pp. 14–18.
Luchetti, G. and Baron, M., Biological actions of synthetic detergent surfactants, Riv. Viticolt. Enol., 1976, vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 253–262.
Holmberg, K., Jönsson, B., Kronberg, B., and Lindman, B., Surfactants and Polymers in Aqueous Solution, Chichester: Wiley, 2003.
Voloshchenko, O.I. and Medyanik, I.A., Gigiena i toksikologiya bytovykh khimicheskikh veshchestv (Hygiene and Toxicology of Household Chemicals), Kiev; Zdorov’ya, 1983.
Voloshchenko, O.I., Mudryi, I.V., and Golenkova, L.G., The effect of synthetic detergents on the level of endogenous surfactants in the body of animals, Gig. Sanit., 1987, no. 1, pp. 14-15.
Lanovenko, O.G. and Ostapishyna, O.O., Detergenty, Slovar’-spravochnik po ekologii (Detergents: A Handbook on Ecology), Kherson: Vyshemirskyi, 2013, p. 64.
Malyovany, M.S., Dedyk, L.M., Marakhovska, S.B. Shandrovych, V.T., Marakhovska, A.O., and Guglich, S.I., The problem of the adverse impact of surfactants and synthetic detergents on the hydrosphere, Nauk. Visn. Nats. Lesotekh. Univ. Ukr., 2015, no. 25(2), pp. 96–104.
Funding
This work was supported by ongoing institutional funding. No additional grants to carry out or direct this particular research were obtained.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
The authors of this work declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note.
Allerton Press remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
About this article
Cite this article
Golovkov, A.M., Kovalenko, V.F., Dolenko, S.O. et al. Environmental Toxicity of Sodium Dodecylbenzenesulphonate in Aquatic Systems by Biotesting Results. J. Water Chem. Technol. 46, 212–215 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3103/S1063455X24020061
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3103/S1063455X24020061