Wastewater and landfill leachate testing: acute toxicity biotest results evaluation

Abstract

This diverse review discusses biotest species and results scoring systems, which were applied to aquatic toxicity assessment of effluents/wastewater (WW) and landfill leachate (LL). European and American aquatic toxicity testing is reviewed. An example of Lithuanian research data on LL biotesting with aquatic organisms of different phylogenetic and ontogenetic levels is presented. Acute toxicity WW and LL is assessed on the basis of (L(E)C50, acute Toxic Units (TUa), pT values, and, by applying different simple result scoring systems or toxicity thresholds. The differences in legislation and recommendations for biotest application in WW and LL aquatic toxicity testing are compared. It is concluded that WW and LL lowest acute toxicity data (TUa value 0.3) should be considered equally as risk to aquatic environment, and technical management decisions should be made. The universal features of toxicity scoring systems, the problems of inventory of old small landfills and cost effective approach are discussed.

Keywords:

• water pollution
• aquatic toxicity
• landfills
• environmental management

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anolda Četkauskaitė

Anolda ČETKAUSKAITĖ. Dr, retiree. PhD in Biology (Biochemistry, bioenergetics), Institute of Biochemistry of Republic of Lithuania, 1984. Senior research biochemist, 1988. Assoc. Prof., Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vilnius University, 1999–2012; affiliated Assoc Prof., Dept. Biochem. Mol. Biol., 2013. Scientific publications: 54. Presentations in over 20 international conferences, workshops, symposiums. Member of SETAC 2000–2010. Author of textbooks in Lithuanian language for bachelor and master degree university students: 1) četkauskaitė A. Ecotoxicology: Mechanisms of Action of Chemical Compounds. Textbook, ISBN 9986-19-335-4, Vilnius: Vilnius University Publishing House, 1999. 452 p.; 2) četkauskaitė A. Biochemical Toxicology. Textbook ISBN 978-9955-25-457-7, Kaunas: Kaunas University of Technology Publishing House “Technologija”, 2008, 163 p.; 3) četkauskaitė A. Ecological Biochemistry (Part I). Textbook in CD format, Kaunas: Kaunas University of Technology Publishing House “Technologija”, 2008, 56 p. Research interests: ecotoxicology, aquatic toxicology, mechanisms of action of individual xenobiotics and their mixtures, QSAR, molecular biomarkers of xenobiotic toxicity, fate of xenobiotics in the environment.

Milda Zita Vosylienė

Milda Zita VosylIEnĖ. Dr, retiree. Laboratory of Ecology and Physiology of Hydrobionts. Institute of Ecology Nature Research Centre. PhD of Biomedical sciences, (physiology), Institute of experimental and clinical medicine, 1968. Publications during the last 10 years: 34 scientific publications in journals and books involved into the ISI list and 12 articles published in journals involved into “ISI Web of Science”. During the last 12 y participated with the presentations in over 20 international scientific seminars, workshops, and conferences. Research interests: ecological physiology, fish physiology, ichthyohematology, ecotoxicology. 2007 – Lithuanian Science Award for the cycle “The use of biological tests to assess aquatic toxicity” (1986–2006), with co-authors.

Nijolė Kazlauskienė

Nijolė KAZLAUSKIENĖ. Dr, Laboratory of Ecology and Physiology of Hydrobionts. The head of Ecological physiology and toxicology sector Institute of Ecology Nature Research Centre. Dr of Biomedical sciences (physiology), Sechenov name Institute of Evolutionary biochemistry and physiology (Russia), 1987. Senior scientific worker, 2003. Publication: 97 scientific publications. Participated with the presentations in over 40 international scientific seminars, workshops, conferences, congresses and symposiums. Research interests: ecological physiology, fish physiology, ecotoxicology, ecology. 2007 – Lithuanian Science Award for the cycle “The use biological tests to assess aquatic toxicity” (1986–2006), with co-authors.

Virginija Kalcienė

Virginija KALCIENĖ. Dr, lecturer at the Centre for Ecology and Environment Research, Vilnius University. PhD of Physical sciences (biochemistry), Vilnius University, 2011. Junior scientific worker at Department Biochemistry and Biophysics of Vilnius University, since 2009 up to 2011. Publications: 2 scientific publications. Presentations in 7 scientific conferences. Research interests: ecotoxicology, environmental risk assessment of chemicals, environmental chemistry, ecology.