title: Assessing ecotoxicity of biomining effluents in stream ecosystems by in situ invertebrate bioassays: A case study in Talvivaara, Finland.
abstract: Mining of sulfide-rich pyritic ores produces acid mine drainage waters and has induced major ecological problems in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Biomining utilizes microbes to extract metals from the ore, and it has been suggested as a new sustainable way to produce metals. However, little is known of the potential ecotoxicological effects of biomining. In the present study, biomining impacts were assessed using survival and behavioral responses of aquatic macroinvertebrates at in situ exposures in streams. The authors used an impedance conversion technique to measure quantitatively in situ behavioral responses of larvae of the regionally common mayfly, Heptagenia dalecarlica, to discharges from the Talvivaara mine (Sotkamo, Northern Finland), which uses a biomining technique. Behavioral responses measured in 3 mine-impacted streams were compared with those measured in 3 reference streams. In addition, 3-d survival of the mayfly larvae and the oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus was measured in the study sites. Biomining impacts on stream water quality included increased concentrations of sulfur, sulfate, and metals, especially manganese, cadmium, zinc, sodium, and calcium. Survival of the invertebrates in the short term was not affected by the mine effluents. In contrast, apparent behavioral changes in mayfly larvae were detected, but these responses were not consistent among sites, which may reflect differing natural water chemistry of the study sites. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:147-155. © 2016 SETAC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Salmelin
authors.affiliation: Laboratory Center/Ecotoxicology and Risk Assessment, Finnish Environment Institute, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Matti T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Leppänen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Anna K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Karjalainen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory Center/Ecotoxicology and Risk Assessment, Finnish Environment Institute, Jyväskylä, Finland.|Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lappeenranta, Finland.
authors.forename: Kari-Matti
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Vuori
authors.affiliation: LimCo International, Konstanz, Germany.
authors.forename: Almut
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gerhardt
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Heikki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hämäläinen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001681:Biological Assay; D017753:Ecosystem; D054750:Ecotoxicology; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005387:Finland; D007313:Insecta; D008906:Mining; D009835:Oligochaeta / Q000187:drug effects*; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Acid mine drainage; Behavioral toxicology; Benthic macroinvertebrates; Biomining; Ecotoxicology