Chronic toxicity of dissolved barium and sodium chloride to the water flea Ceriodaphnia dubia: implications for unconventional gas flowback-produced waters.

ABSTRACT: Unconventional gas flowback-produced waters, particularly those of marine origin from shale gas, can contain elevated concentrations of barium (Ba) and sodium chloride (NaCl). There are limited Ba water quality guideline values to help assess the potential risk of Ba exposure to freshwater biota. Barium toxicity is heavily influenced by sulfate concentrations as Ba and sulfate react, forming the highly water-insoluble and thus less bioavailable Ba sulfate. To determine survival and reproductive impacts, the water flea Ceriodaphnia dubia was exposed to dissolved Ba, NaCl, and binary combinations of dissolved Ba and NaCl. No chronic lethal concentration (LC) endpoints could be determined for dissolved Ba-only exposure up to 16 mg/L due to near 100% parent survivorship across all treatments.

SUBMITTER: Willems DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11790209 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature