| Abstract: | Eight urea herbicides, as are used for weed control, are investigated for their effect on the green alga Ankistrodesmus falcatus and the warm-water fish Poecilia reticulata and found to be highly toxic for the test alga or highly to moderately toxic for the fish. If other criteria (acute toxicity to warm-blooded animals, carcinogenicity and biochemical degradability) are taken into account too, the tested herbicides have to be classified as very dangerous water pollutants. Legal sanctions to be applied in cases of exceeded limiting values are discussed. |
