Toxicity of Automotive

Runoff on Daphnia.

Morgan Dutrow10th Grade

Bellwood-Antis

Why I Chose this Experiment

• Daphnia could be an indicator of what will

happen when chemicals runoff of parking

lots and into aquatic environments.

• Earlier in the year I had learned a little

about Daphnia.

I chose this experiment because…

Windshield Washer Fluid• Contains: Methanol (CHO3H)

Antifreeze• Contains: Ethylene glycol (C2H6O2)

Background InformationBrake fluid

• Contains: Diethylene glycol (C4O3H)

Antifreeze 100 mg/LWindshield Washer Fluid 29000 mg/LBrake Fluid 100 mg/L

Lethal Dose 50 in 96 hours

Hypothesis

Windshield washer fluid be the least lethal.

Why I Chose Daphnia…

• In our experiment we used the variety of daphnia known as Daphnia Magnum.

• Daphnia being much smaller, would be more susceptible. Because they are a food source, this could then work its way up the ecosystem.

• Daphnia are an indicator species.

General Procedure

•40ml fluid with 4 daphnia•3 trials of each dilution

Making a dilution: Ex. 1/10 dilution•Water: 34ml•Automotive pollutant: 4ml•Food:2ml

Recipes For My DilutionsDilution Water Food Chemical

1/2 18 2 20

1/5 30 2 8

1/10 34 2 4

1/20 36 2 2

1/40 37 2 1

1/80 37 ½ 2 ½

Experimental Design

•Variable▫the pollutant

•Experimental Group▫Antifreeze, Brake Fluid, and Windshield

Washer Fluid•Control Group

▫Spring Water

Experimental Design Contd.•Control Variables:

Amount of…▫Light▫Food▫Chemical▫WaterOthers…▫Temperature▫Size of daphnia▫Clean materials

LD 50

•Daphnia died too close together

Daphnia Lifetime (in minutes) inBrake Fluid

Brake Fluid Trial 1 Trial 2 Trail 31/2 1 1 11/5 2 2 2

1/10 20 16 181/20 106 105 1071/40 1440+ 1440+ 1440+1/80 1440+ 1440+ 1440+

Averages Daphnia Lifetimes of 3 Trials

Dilution

Windshield Washer

Fluid AntifreezeBrake Fluid

1/2 2 2 1

1/5 10 15 2

1/10 120 1440+ 18

1/20 1440+ 1440+ 106

1/40 1440+ 1440+ 1440+

1/80 N/A N/A 1440+

more

dilute

Note: All numbers are in minutes.

windshield washer fluid brake fluid antifreeze0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

% p

oll

uta

nt

tole

rate

d

Conclusion

According to my data, I reject my hypothesis that Windshield Washer Fluid would be the least lethal to daphnia.

Improvements

•I would…▫use more specific dilutions.

▫use different animals.

▫use more chemicals.

Expanding my Project

•I could…▫test motor oil by using a larger aquatic

animal.▫test to see what affect making the water

more acidic or basic would have.

Bibliography•http://ijt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstrac

t/23/1/55 1/24

•http://www.aehms.org/jaeh_3_2_sherry.html 1/24

•http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/e5125.htm 2/8

•https://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/89493.htm 2/8

•http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts96.html 2/10