A study has been made of the relation between the toxicity and the accumulation in goldfish, Carassius auratus, of seven chlorophenols: 2-chlorophenol; 4-chlorophenol; 2, 4-dichlorophenol; 2, 4, 5-trichlorophenol; 2, 4, 6-trichiorophenol; 2, 3, 4, 6-tetrachlorophenol; and pentachlorophenol. An increase of the Cl-atom number in the chlorophenols caused an abrupt increase in toxicity to the fish and also increased the concentration ratios in their media to lethal or sublethal concentrations.
On the other hand, the concentrations of the chlorophenls fbund in the dead fish in the media waried within the range of 75 to 268μg/g body weight, as compared with the LC₅₀ values.
The results suggest that the increase of toxicity from polychlorinated phenols is mostly due to their accumulation in the fish. Their concentrations in the fish eventually achieve a certain lethal level (roughlyl 100-200μg/g body weight), although the chemical form, locality, and physiological activity of the chlorophenols in the tissues of the fish must also be involved.