Determining chemical toxicity to aquatic species

Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) and the use of surrogate testing organisms can serve as tools for determining chemical toxicity to aquatic biota. QSARs correlate and predict the toxic properties of chemicals from physical and chemical descriptors, while surrogate test organisms are used to estimate the response of an organism or ecosystem to toxicants. Illustrations from recent research highlight the role of QSARs and interspecies correlations in extracting the greatest quantity of information possible from toxicity tests. Successful QSARs and interspecies correlations were developed for diverse chemical pollutants that act by nonreactive toxicity mechanisms for four bacteria and a fish species.