Assessment of genotoxic activity of petroleum hydrocarbon-bioremediated soil

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety 2005-11, Vol.62 (3), p.415-420
• Main Authors: Płaza, Grażyna, Nałęcz-Jawecki, Grzegorz, Ulfig, Krzysztof, Brigmon, Robin L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; bacteria; beta-Galactosidase - metabolism; bioassays; Biodegradation of pollutants; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biological and medical sciences; Biopile; Bioremediation; Biotechnology; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environment and pollution; Escherichia coli - drug effects; Escherichia coli - genetics; Escherichia coli - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes, Bacterial - drug effects; Genotoxicity; Hydrocarbons - analysis; Hydrocarbons - metabolism; Hydrocarbons - toxicity; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; land restoration; Mutagenicity Tests; PAHs; Petroleum; Petroleum hydrocarbons; polluted soils; Salmonella typhi - drug effects; Salmonella typhi - genetics; soil chemical properties; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil Pollutants - metabolism; Soil Pollutants - toxicity; SOS chromotest; SOS response (genetics); Terrestrial environment, soil, air; toxicity testing; umu test
• ISSN: 0147-6513; 1090-2414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2004.10.014

The relationship between toxicity and soil contamination must be understood to develop reliable indicators of environmental restoration for bioremediation. Two bacterial rapid bioassays, SOS chromotest and the umu test with and without metabolic activation (S-9 mixture), were used to evaluate the genotoxicity of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil following bioremediation treatment. The soil was taken from an engineered biopile at the Czechowice-Dziedzice Polish oil refinery (CZOR). The bioremediation process in the biopile lasted 4 years, and the toxicity measurements were done after this treatment. Carcinogens detected in the soil, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were reduced to low concentrations (2 mg/kg dry wt) by the bioremediation process. Genotoxicity was not observed for soils tested with and without metabolic activation by a liver homogenate (S-9 mixture). However, the umu test was more sensitive than the SOS chromotest in the analysis of petroleum hydrocarbon-bioremediated soil. Analytical results of soil used in the bioassays confirmed that the bioremediation process reduced 81% of the petroleum hydrocarbons including PAHs. We conclude that the combined test systems employed in this study are useful tools for the genotoxic examination of remediated petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil.