Abstract
As the risk assessment of chemicals on ecosystem is the matter of major concern, the chronic toxic effects of chemicals on aquatic organisms such as fish recently considered to be more critical than the acute toxic effects. Emphasis has shifted to chronic toxicity tests such as full life cycle, partial life cycle and early life cycle (ELS) tests. In Japan, the acute toxicity test for marine fish has been performed on fish species for aquaculture such as red sea bream (Pagrus major), black sea bream (Acanthopagrus schlegeli), however a method for the chronic toxicity test for these fishes not yet been established, because of the difficulty of keeping the fish at early life stage. Therefore, based on the assumption that the acute-to-chronic toxicity ratio (ACR) for a given toxicant is relatively constant over a range of test specie, an attempt was made to obtain ACR from mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus). We tested this species for acute and ELS tests and obtained ACR. The estimated ACR from mummichog can be applied to Japanese marine fish species for which a NOEC cannot be easily derived
