Effects of Main Chemical Compounds in Cooking Oil Fume Condensates (COFCs) on Growth of Salvinia natans (L.) All.: I. Dodecane

There is growing concern about the impact of cooking oil fume condensates (COFCs) on the environment, including on the growth of plants. COFCs contain a wide range of chemical constituents which are closely related to the temperature of cooking oil. Among these components, hydrocarbons are believed to be among the most toxic. Dodecane is one of the principal hydrocarbons implicated. The paper deals with the experiments carried out in laboratory to clarify the toxic effects of COFCs, adding various amounts of dodecane to aquatic solutions in dishes containing the floating aquatic plant Salvinia natans. Inhibitory effects on the vegetative growth of S. natans, i.e. on the development of leaves and buds are reported in the experiments. The production of new leaves is significantly inhibited. The percent inhibition of growth rate (%) in the number of leaves produced is significantly correlated with the concentration of dodecane. LC₅₀ values on day 4 and day 16 after treatment are 190 mg/L and 181 mg/L respectively. Dodecane has no effect on the pH values of test solutions. It is concluded that dodecane has significant effects on the vegetative growth of aquatic plants. S. natans is sensitive to dodecane and might be useful as an indicator of dodecane and thus COFCs pollution.