Use of plant and earthworm bioassays to evaluate remediation of soil from a site contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls
- Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH (United States)
- DynCorp, Cincinnati, OH (United States)
- Oak Ridge Inst. of Science and Education, Cincinnati, OH (United States)
Soil from a site heavily contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was treated with a pilot-scale, solvent extraction technology. Bioassays in earthworms and plants were used to examine the efficacy of the remediation process for reducing the toxicity of the soil. The earthworm toxicity bioassays were the 14-d survival test and 21-d reproduction test, using Lumbricus terrestris and Eisenia fetida andrei. The plant bioassays included phytotoxicity tests for seed germination and root elongation in lettuce and oats, and a genotoxicity test (anaphase aberrations) in Allium cepa (common onion). Although the PCB content of the soil was reduced by 99% (below the remediation goal), toxicity to earthworm reproduction remained essentially unchanged following remediation. Furthermore, phytotoxicity and genotoxicity were higher for the remediated soil compared to the untreated soil. The toxicity remaining after treatment appeared to be due to residual solvent introduced during the remediation process, and/or to heavy metals or other inorganic contaminants not removed by the treatment. Mixture studies involving isopropanol and known toxicants indicated possible synergistic effects of the extraction solvent and soil contaminants. The toxicity in plants was essentially eliminated by a postremediation, water-rinsing step. These results demonstrate a need for including toxicity measurements in the evaluation of technologies used in hazardous waste site remediations, and illustrate the potential value of such measurements for making modifications to remediation processes.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 514534
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 16, Issue 5; Other Information: PBD: May 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
{sup 32}P-postlabeling determination of DNA adducts in the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris exposed to PAH-contaminated soils
Development of a suitable test method for evaluating the toxicity of contaminated soils to earthworms in Canada