Acute Toxicity of Kogi State Specialist Hospital Effluent on Clarias gariepinus (Catfish)
Rosemary Patrick and Umar Victor
ABSTRACT
This study is to investigate the acute toxicity of hospital effluent on Clarias gariepinus gills, flesh and liver as biomarkers of environmental quality in toxicity testing of hospital effluent. The acute toxicity test of hospital effluent was carried out in April 2017 on the histopathology of the gill, liver and flesh of 150 juvenile of (African catfish) C. gariepinus with mean weight of 7.8 ± 0.2g and standard length range of 12.5 ± 0.1. Physico-Chemical parameters of the control fell within the permissible limit of standard organizations (WHO and FEPA), while the Physico-Chemical parameter of the effluent was above maximum permissible limit of WHO and FEPA which make the aquatic environment increasingly polluted. Continuous increase in pollution from health care establishment will lead to an explosive loss of aquatic lives. A range finding test was conducted prior to the experiment. The fish were later exposed to triplicates of 0%, 20%, 40%, 80% and 100% concentrations of the effluent for 4 days (96 hours) in a static non- renewal bioassay procedure before biopsy. The median lethal concentration (LC50) value was 13.47%. Backward swimming, loss of equilibrium, and sudden death were observed in the exposed fish and these varied greatly with increase in concentration of the toxicant. This showed that mortality increases with increase in concentration. The gill histopathological changes observed were destruction of the gill arch. Histopathological examination of the liver showed vacoulation of hepatocyte, cellular infiltration and cellular necrosis (i.e. cell death). Occurrence of the gill, liver and flesh anomalies in the test fish show their suitability for use in toxicity testing of hospital effluent.
