Comparison of solid-phase and eluate assays to gauge the ecotoxicological risk of organic wastes on soil organisms.
Development of methodologies to assess the safety of reusing polluted organic wastes in soil is a priority in Europe. In this study, and coupled with chemical analysis, seven organic wastes were subjected to different aquatic and soil bioassays. Tests were carried out with solid-phase waste and three different waste eluates (water, methanol, and dichloromethane). Solid-phase assays were indicated as the most suitable for waste testing not only in terms of relevance for real situations, but also because toxicity in eluates was generally not representative of the chronic effects in solid-phase. No general correlations were found between toxicity and waste pollutant burden, neither in solid-phase nor in eluate assays, showing the inability of chemical methods to predict the ecotoxicological risks of wastes. On the contrary, several physicochemical parameters reflecting the degree of low organic matter stability in wastes were the main contributors to the acute toxicity seen in collembolans and daphnids.
Domene
Xavier
X
Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF) and Unit of Ecology, Department of Animal and Plant Biology and Ecology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Edifici de Ciencies, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain. x.domene@creaf.uab.es
Alcañiz
Josep M
JM
Andrés
Pilar
P
D048908:Aliivibrio fischeri / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods; D003621:Daphnia / Q000187:drug effects; D054750:Ecotoxicology / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D006256:Hazardous Waste; D000432:Methanol; D008752:Methylene Chloride; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D018675:Toxicity Tests; D014867:Water
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D006256:Hazardous Waste; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D014867:Water; D008752:Methylene Chloride; D000432:Methanol