Microbial bioassays to assess the toxicity of solid-associated contaminants.
Due to the effects that sediment or soil matrices have on the bioavailability of compounds, it has been difficult to screen toxicity of solid-associated contaminants. The majority of microbial assays for testing toxicity of soils and sediments have been performed on water or solvent extracts. These procedures lead to a fractionation of the toxicity, which may underestimate or overestimate exposure routes and consequently potential adverse environmental effects. Recently, a solid-phase Microtox assay which eliminates the need for soil extracts and utilizes whole sediments or soils has been developed. This report describes a toxicity testing procedure using the inhibition of dehydrogenase enzyme activity of Bacillus cereus as test parameter. Studies with soil samples and a synthetic sediment spiked with organic contaminants and copper indicate the higher sensitivity of both solid-phase bioassays compared to water extract testing. A comparison of the results demonstrates that the B. cereus contact test is more sensitive for copper than the Photobacterium phosphoreum solid-phase test.
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Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg, Arbeitsbereich Umweltschutztechnik, Germany.
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D001409:Bacillus cereus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D001548:Benzalkonium Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D001681:Biological Assay; D001682:Biological Availability; D003470:Culture Media; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008670:Metals / Q000633:toxicity; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000633:toxicity; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000633:toxicity*
D001548:Benzalkonium Compounds; D003470:Culture Media; D008670:Metals; D009281:Naphthalenes; D012989:Soil Pollutants; C031721:naphthalene