The synergistic toxicity of pesticide mixtures: implications for risk assessment and the conservation of endangered Pacific salmon
Laetz CA, Baldwin DH, Collier TK, Hebert V, Stark JD, Scholz NL. 2009. The synergistic toxicity of pesticide mixtures: implications for risk assessment and the conservation of endangered Pacific salmon. Environmental Health Perspectives. 117(3):348-353
From the Abstract: "We assessed whether chemicals in a mixture act in isolation (resulting in additive AChE inhibition) or whether components interact to produce either antagonistic or synergistic toxicity. ... We observed addition and synergism, with a greater degree of synergism at higher exposure concentrations. Several combinations of organophosphates were lethal at concentrations that were sublethal in single-chemical trials. .. CONCLUSION: Single-chemical risk assessments are likely to underestimate the impacts of these insecticides on salmon in river systems where mixtures occur. Moreover, mixtures of pesticides that have been commonly reported in salmon habitats may pose a more important challenge for species recovery than previously anticipated."
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Laetz, Cathy; Baldwin, David; Collier, Tracy; Hebert, Vincent; Stark, John; Scholz, Nathaniel
- Units
- OLYM
- Keywords
- Pesticides, Salmon, synergy, Toxicity