Aquatic toxicology

Aquatic toxicology is the study of the effects of manufactured chemicals and other anthropogenic and natural materials and activities on aquatic organisms at various levels of organization, from subcellular through individual organisms to communities and ecosystems (Rand, 1995).

In the United States aquatic toxicology plays an important role in the NPDES program. In additional to analytical testing for known pollutants, aquatic, whole effluent toxicity tests have been standardized and are performed routinely as a tool for evaluating the potential harmful effects of effluents discharged into surface waters.