Modification of the Neubauer technique to assess toxicity of hazardous chemicals in soils
The Neubauer technique was modified to provide a sensitive and economical phytoassay for soils and surface waters obtained from a chemical waste site. Use of individual plastic enclosures allowed safe handling and disposal over the course of our experiments. Laboratory tests showed that water from a holding basin was toxic to wheat plants at dilutions of less than 1% and that our modified Neubauer technique produced results compatible with both pot culture and the standard Neubauer test. Further testing of several inorganic constituents of the basin water pointed to an organic toxicant, even though the original water contained high levels of sodium, copper and other elements. The results of testing 26 samples from an abandoned waste pond were negative insofar as toxicity to wheat and lettuce seeds, whereas samples from an abandoned ditch allowed us to determine areal toxicity as well as toxicity as a function of depth and suggested that more than one species should be tested. 10 references, 2 figures, 5 tables.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 6115481
- Journal Information:
- Environ. Toxicol. Chem.; (United States), Vol. 4
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
CHEMICAL WASTES
GROUND DISPOSAL
TOXICITY
COPPER
SEEDS
GERMINATION
SODIUM
SOILS
CONTAMINATION
SURFACE WATERS
BIOASSAY
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
LETTUCE
MEASURING METHODS
MODIFICATIONS
MONITORING
WHEAT
ALKALI METALS
CEREALS
DATA
ELEMENTS
FOOD
GRASS
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
METALS
NUMERICAL DATA
PLANTS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
VEGETABLES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
510200* - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
520200 - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
560303 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Plants- (-1987)