Toxic effects of the fungicide carbendazim on the midge Chironomus riparius in two consecutive generations and the detection of body burden after metamorphosis

= 3.13 ± 0.29 μg/g). In the second generation, emergence was delayed and the population growth rate decreased. Accumulation of CBZ in midges was analyzed in pools of 3 to 6 individuals using a newly established extraction method. CBZ was detected in all tested adult midges from all treatments, except the controls. A concentration-dependent increase of CBZ accumulation was observed only in the first generation, but tissue concentration correlated with mortality in both generations. We described the toxic effects of CBZ to chironomids in environmentally relevant concentrations, combined with CBZ tissue concentrations. Our findings further demonstrate that CBZ can be spread in different environmental compartments due to tissue accumulation, potentially causing biomagnification in the consuming species.