Influence of IHSS Standard and Reference Materials on Copper and Mercury Toxicity to Vibrio fischeri

The reduction in light emission of the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri used in the standard Microtox (R) bioassay was measured for the metals copper and mercury. The concentration at which the light emission was reduced by 50 % (EC50) was determined to be (3.43 +/- 0.83) mu mol/L for Cu2+ and (0.66 +/- 0.01) mu mol/L for Hg2+. The reduction of the toxicity of these metals by humic and fulvic acids were studied using IHSS Standard and Reference Materials. Copper toxicity was reduced 17...20 % by the soil and peat fulvic acids and 9...20 % by the aquatic fulvic acids. While there appeared to be little difference in the reduction of Cu toxicity by fulvic acids from soils, peals, or aquatic systems, Hg toxicity was reduced 3.6...7.3 % by the soils and peals, while aquatic fulvic acids reduced Hg toxicity 14...16 %. Soil fulvic acids appear to have significantly less capacity to reduce Hg toxicity than Cu toxicity. Humic acids had much higher reductions of Cu toxicity (44...124 %) compared to the fulvic acids, with little difference between aquatic and soil or peat humic acids, 44...124 % and 67...100 %, respectively. However, humic and fulvic acids, regardless of origin, had approximately the same effect on Hg toxicity with 3.5...16 % reduction by fulvic acids and 8...20 % reduction by humic acids. Unlike the fulvic acids, no clear trend was observed relative to origin of the humic acids. There was no correlation between percent reduction of Cu or Hg toxicity by the organic compounds and copper binding capacity (CuBC), C/N ratio, or carboxyl content of the materials. Examination of natural organic matter (NOM) isolated by reverse osmosis techniques from three water sources had reductions of both Cu and Hg toxicity that were most similar to the Suwannee River and Nordic fulvic acids.