Acute Toxicity of Mercury,Copper and Zinc to a Freshwater Pulmonate Snail,Lymnaea luteola (LAMARCK)

The short-term toxicity of mercury, copper and zinc was studied using a freshwater pulmonate snail, Lymnaea luteola (LAMARCK ). The median period of survival increases with decreasing the toxicant concentration. The 96 h LC₅₀ values and their confidence limits were 0.135 (0.112 … 0.186) ppm of Hg²⁺; 0.172 (0.118 … 0.355) ppm of Cu²⁺; and 6.13 (5.73 to 7.19) ppm of Zn²⁺. The relative potency ratio indicates that the Hg²⁺ ions were most toxic, followed by Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ ions.