Accumulation of heavy metals in the earthworm Eisenia foetida

Journal Article · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1979 · J. Environ. Qual.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq1980.00472425000900010007x· OSTI ID:5569438

Hartenstein, R ^[1]; Neuhauser, E F; Collier, J

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1. State Univ. of New York, Syracuse

Conversion of waste-activated sludge into egesta by the earthworm Eisenia foetida resulted in neither an increase nor decrease of 0.1 N HCl-extractable cadmium, copper, nickel, lead, or zinc. The addition of 2500 ppM copper as copper sulfate to activated sludge caused 100% mortality whthin 1 week, though feeding upon nonamended activated sludges with up to 1500 ppM copper over several months was innocuous. Amendment of sludge with 10, 50, and 100 ppM Cd as CdSO/sub 4/ resulted in 3.90-, 2.04-, and 1.44-fold concentrations in the earthworm over the quantities present in the sludge, with a range of 118 to 170 ppM being found on exposure to the highest level for periods of 1 to 5 weeks at 25/sup 0/C. In field trials with nonamended sludge, however, containing 12 to 27 ppM Cd, biweekly sampling for 28 weeks revealed accumulations in E. foetida ranging from 8 to 46 ppM; control earthworms not exposed to culture media with easily measurable Cd levels contained 0.3 to 2 ppM Cd. Upwards to about 50 ppM Ni, 325 ppM Pb, and 250 ppM Zn accumulated from sludges amended with ionic soluble forms of these metals. In the field, where these metals ranged from 2 to 46, 1 to 53, and 68 to 210 ppM, respectively, an upper concentration of about 50 ppM Ni, 55 ppM Pb, and 250 ppM Zn were found in the earthworm. Distinctions were made between accumulable and concentratable and a discussion is provided to show that each of the most problematic heavy metals, Cd, Zn, Ni, Pb, and Cu, may accumulate or concentrate in the earthworm.

• OSTI ID: 5569438
• Journal Information: J. Environ. Qual.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Environ. Qual.; (United States) Vol. 9:1; ISSN JEVQA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510200* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ANIMALS
ANNELIDS
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
CADMIUM
COPPER
COPPER COMPOUNDS
COPPER SULFATES
DATA
DATA FORMS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
INFORMATION
INGESTION
INTAKE
INVERTEBRATES
LEAD
METALS
NICKEL
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SEWAGE
SEWAGE SLUDGE
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TABLES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
UPTAKE
WASTES
ZINC