Abstract
The effects of pH upon the environmental fate of carbaryl were determined in acute toxicity tests, microcosm analyses, and abiotic water stability studies. The toxicity of carbaryl varied significantly with pH in 24-hr toxicity tests withChironomus riparius. Toxicity was greatest at pH 4; the chemical was equitoxic at pH's 6 and 8. Greater amounts of carbaryl were detected in water at pH 4, both in the microcosm and abiotic studies, than at pH's 6 and 8. In spite of the marked persistence of carbaryl in water at pH 4, only minor differences were seen in the amount of parent compound in the microcosm organisms as a function of pH because of the facility with which carbaryl was degraded. The hazard associated with aquatic contamination by carbaryl is affected by pH, but is most significant when contamination of the water exceeds the capacity of aquatic biota to metabolize the chemical. These data underscore the need to consider physical factors which affect environmental fate, particularly in environments in which biotic degradation is minimal.
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Fisher, S.W., Lohner, T.W. Studies on the environmental fate of carbaryl as a function of pH. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 15, 661–667 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01054913
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01054913