Chronic copper gBAM for fish : investigating possibilities and limitations of a generalised bioavailability model (gBAM) for predicting chronic copper toxicity to freshwater fish : final report

Abstract

This study developed a fully parameterised de novo chronic Cu generalised bioavailability model (gBAM) for juvenile rainbow trout that incorporates toxicity modifying effects of pH, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), Ca, Mg, and Na. This gBAM genreally performs better than a previously developed biotic ligand model (BLM), notably with respect to a more accurate prediction of the effect of pH on chronic copper toxicity. The extrapolation of this model to early life stages of fish is encouraging. The gBAM developed in this study is the first model to integrate all available data on the chronic toxicity of copper to fish in a consistent way