• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2013

The cladoceran Daphniamagna has been used as an aquatic test species in aquatic toxicology. To evaluate the aquatic toxicity of leachate from concrete, the immobilization of D. magna was observed after treatment of various concentrations of leachate specimens. Reliabilities of the culture condition and the experimental protocol for acute toxicity test were successfully achieved from the standard toxicity test. The leachates were prepared from the mixture of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and pozzolanic admixtures, Pulverised fuel ash (PFA), Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and GGBS containing loess. Acute toxicity test showed 100% immobilization of D. magna for OPC or PFA. The leachates from OPC or PFA had high pH 10 to 12. However, GGBS and GGBS containing loess showed less toxicity according to the concentrations. Especially, immobilization was not observed at the concentrations below 12.5% of GGBS containing loess. Also the range of pH for these specimens was 8 to 9. This suggested that the use of loess as the admixture in concrete may be useful to reduce eco-toxicity of leachates from concrete. This our study provided the harmfulness of the alkali leaching from concrete in aquatic environment and the usefulness of D. magna to evaluate the toxicity of leachates from concrete.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.296-302
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• 2011

Insect-resistant transgenic rice was developed by inserting the mCry1Ac1 a modified gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). For biosafety assessment, we studied the effects on survival of cantor Daphnia magna, a commonly used as a model organism in ecotoxicological studies. D. magna fed on Bt rice and its near non-genetically modified (GM) counterparts (Nakdong) grown in the same environment (100% ground rice suspension). The Bt rice was comfirmed to have the insertion of T-DNA and protein expression by the polymerase chain reaction and ELISA analysis. Feeding study showed similar cumulative immobility and abnormal response of D. magna between Bt rice and non-GM counterparts. 48 h-$EC_{50}$ values of Bt rice and non-GM rice showed 4,429 and 2,889 mg/L respectively. The rice no observed effect concentration (NOEC) values for D. magna was suggested 1,000 mg/L. We conclude that the tested Bt-rice and Nakdong similar cumulative immobility for D. magna the widely used model organism. We found out that there is strong possibility that the growth of Bt rice didn't affect to non-target insects.