Multiple bioassays to assess the toxicity of a sanitary landfill leachate

Toxicity tests were carried out with fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), zooplankton (Daphnia magna), green algae (Selenastrum capricornutum), and bacteria (Photobacterium phosphorium) to determine the potential adverse effects of sanitary landfill leachate from Fitchburg, Mass., on the environment. The leachate was very toxic to the test bacteria, moderately toxic to the daphnids, and slightly toxic to fathead minnows, demonstrating the importance of carrying out toxicity tests with organisms from several trophic levels, when assessing the potential impact of a pollutant on an aquatic ecosystem.