Toxicity of the water-soluble polymer PVP is dependent on molecular weight and feed concentration for a freshwater model species.

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is a synthetic water-soluble polymer (WSP) that does not readily biodegrade and has been detected in rivers in the mg L range. Whilst previous studies have highlighted sublethal impacts of this chemical on freshwater species, cause of this toxicity remains unclear. The current study investigates how polymer molecular weight impacts the freshwater model species, Daphnia magna.