Dissolved Barium Causes Toxicity to Groundwater Cyclopoida

Barium (Ba) dissolution and mobilization in groundwater are predominantly controlled by sulfate because of the low solubility of barium sulfate (BaSO₄) minerals. Naturally present at low concentrations in groundwater, elevated concentrations of Ba can occur as a result of anthropogenic activities, including use of barite in drill operations, and geogenic sources such as leaching from geological formations. No toxicity data exist for Ba with groundwater organisms (stygofauna) to assess the risk of elevated Ba concentrations. The present study measured Ba toxicity to two stygobiont Cyclopoida species: one collected from Wellington and the other from Somersby, New South Wales, Australia. Toxicity was measured as cyclopoid survival over 2, 4, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days in waters of varying sulfate concentration (<1-100 mg SO₄/L). When sulfate was present, dissolved Ba concentrations decreased rapidly in toxicity test solutions forming a BaSO₄ precipitate until dissolved sulfate was depleted. Barium in excess of sulfate remained in the dissolved form. The toxicity of Ba to cyclopoids was clearly attributed to dissolved Ba. Precipitated Ba was not toxic to the Wellington cyclopoid species. Toxicity values for dissolved Ba for the Wellington and Somersby cyclopoid species included a (21-day) no-effect concentration of 3.3 mg/L and an effective concentration to cause 5% mortality of 4.8 mg/L (at 21 days). Elevated dissolved Ba concentrations due to anthropogenic and/or biogeochemical processes may pose a risk to groundwater organisms. Further toxicity testing with other stygobiont species is recommended to increase the data available to derive a guideline value for Ba that can be used in contaminant risk assessments for groundwaters. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:2501-2514. © 2024 The Author(s). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.