Chemical toxicity correlations for several fish species based on the Abraham solvation parameter model.

The Abraham solvation parameter model is used to construct mathematical correlations for describing the nonspecific aquatic toxicity of organic compounds to the fathead minnow, guppy, bluegill, goldfish, golden orfe, and high-eyes medaka. The derived mathematical correlations describe the observed published toxicity data to within an overall average standard deviation of approximately 0.28 log units. In the case of ester solutes, the descriptions were improved by introducing an indicator variable into the basic model. Derived correlations can be used to estimate aquatic toxicities of organic chemicals to the six fish species studied and to help in identifying compounds whose toxic mode of action might involve chemical specific reactivity, rather than nonpolar or polar narcosis. A principal component analysis of the correlation equations shows that the water-octanol system is a poor model for nonspecific aquatic toxicity but that the water-isobutanol and water-pentanol systems are much better models.