Ecological effects of the slightly polluted water environments

This study relates to the problem of introducing the quality standards of the water environments. The subject data were acquired using the author’s method (patented) of analyzing the water quality through the response, of the biological embryo tests (hydrobionts), evaluated with a metabolic criterion – the level of free-radical reactions. Thereby, the contents in the water of heavy metal salts commonly regarded tolerable were found to have the critical effect on the hydrobiont embryos larvae. Long-term dwelling in the waters polluted even an order of magnitude below the standard MPC are shown to greatly violate metabolic homeostasis, and, hence, cause anomalous development and early death. These low doses also appeared reducing the adult hydrobionts vitality. The current legal MPC levels of the small pollutant are discussed as to be urgently reconsidered by taking into account their detrimental biological effects.