Cation Composition Influences the Toxicity of Salinity to Freshwater Biota

Cátia Venâncio (), Karen Caon and Isabel Lopes ()
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Cátia Venâncio: Centre for Marine and Environmental Studies (CESAM) and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Karen Caon: Centre for Marine and Environmental Studies (CESAM) and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Isabel Lopes: Centre for Marine and Environmental Studies (CESAM) and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: The effects of salinization on freshwater ecosystems have been estimated by testing sodium chloride (NaCl) since it is the most widely used salt as a deicing agent and Na + and Cl − ions are the most representative in seawater composition. However, calcium, magnesium, and/or potassium are starting to be proposed as potential surrogates for NaCl, but for which ecotoxicological effects are less explored. This study aimed to identify (i) the less toxic salt to freshwater biota to be suggested as a safer alternative deicer and (ii) to contribute to the lower tiers of salinity risk assessment frameworks by identifying a more suitable surrogate salt than NaCl. The battery of ecotoxicity assays with five key trophic level species showed that among the tested salts (MgCl 2 , CaCl 2 , and KCl), KCl and CaCl 2 seemed to induce the highest and lowest toxicity, respectively, compared with NaCl. CaCl 2 is suggested as a safer alternative for use as a deicer and KCl as a surrogate for the risk assessment of seawater intrusion in coastal regions. These results enrich the salt toxicity database aiming to identify and propose more suitable surrogate salts to predict the effects of salinization to a broader extent.

Keywords: salinization; ionic composition; magnesium chloride; potassium chloride; calcium chloride (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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