Toxicity assessment through multiple endpoint bioassays in soils posing environmental risk according to regulatory screening values

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2014, Vol.21 (16), p.9689-9708
• Main Authors: Rodriguez-Ruiz, A, Asensio, V, Zaldibar, B, Soto, M, Marigómez, I
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute toxicity; Aliivibrio fischeri; Animals; Aquatic Pollution; arsenic; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bioaccumulation; Bioassays; Bioavailability; Biodegradability; Biodegradation; Biological Assay; Brownfields; Cadmium; Cell viability; Chemical analysis; Chronic toxicity; Copper; Dictyostelium - drug effects; Dictyostelium - growth & development; Dictyostelium discoideum; Earth and Environmental Science; earthworms; Ecotoxicology; Eisenia fetida; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental risk; Fruit bodies; fruiting bodies; Germination - drug effects; Heavy metals; Hydrocarbons; issues and policy; Lactuca - drug effects; Lactuca - physiology; Lactuca sativa; laws and regulations; Lead; Legislation; lettuce; Ligands; Metals; Microtox; Oligochaeta - drug effects; Oligochaeta - physiology; Organic soils; petroleum; Petroleum - analysis; Petroleum - toxicity; Petroleum hydrocarbons; Petroleum Pollution - analysis; Plant Roots - drug effects; Plant Roots - physiology; Pollutants; Polymers; Raphanus - drug effects; Raphanus - physiology; Raphanus sativus; reproductive toxicology; Research Article; risk; Risk Assessment; root growth; screening; Seed germination; Sensitivity analysis; soil; Soil - chemistry; Soil analysis; Soil contamination; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil Pollutants - toxicity; Soil pollution; Toxicity; toxicity testing; Toxicity Tests; Vibrio fischeri; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; zinc
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-2915-7

Toxicity profiles of two soils (a brownfield in Legazpi and an abandoned iron mine in Zugaztieta; Basque Country) contaminated with several metals (As, Zn, Pb and Cu in Legazpi; Zn, Pb, Cd and Cu in Zugaztieta) and petroleum hydrocarbons (in Legazpi) were determined using a multi-endpoint bioassay approach. Investigated soils exceeded screening values (SVs) of regulatory policies in force (Basque Country; Europe). Acute and chronic toxicity bioassays were conducted with a selected set of test species (Vibrio fischeri, Dictyostelium discoideum, Lactuca sativa, Raphanus sativus and Eisenia fetida) in combination with chemical analysis of soils and elutriates, as well as with bioaccumulation studies in earthworms. The sensitivity of the test species and the toxicity endpoints varied depending on the soil. It was concluded that whilst Zugaztieta soil showed very little or no toxicity, Legazpi soil was toxic according to almost all the toxicity tests (solid phase Microtox®, D. discoideum inhibition of fruiting body formation and developmental cycle solid phase assays, lettuce seed germination and root elongation test, earthworm acute toxicity and reproduction tests, D. discoideum cell viability and replication elutriate assays). Thus, albeit both soils had similar SVs, their ecotoxicological risk, and therefore the need for intervening, was different for each soil as unveiled after toxicity profiling based on multiple endpoint bioassays. Such a toxicity profiling approach is suitable to be applied for scenario-targeted soil risk assessment in those cases where applicable national/regional soil legislation based on SVs demands further toxicity assessment.