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Bacterial mutagenicity of leachate water from municipal sewage sludge‐amended soils
Author(s) -
Donnelly K.C.,
Brown K.W.,
Thomas J.C.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620090405
Subject(s) - leachate , lysimeter , leaching (pedology) , soil water , chemistry , environmental chemistry , loam , sewage sludge , bioassay , groundwater , sewage , environmental science , environmental engineering , biology , ecology , soil science , geotechnical engineering , engineering
The objective of this study was to monitor the mutagenic potential of leachate from soils amended with municipal sewage sludge. The Salmonella /microsome assay was employed to monitor the mutagenicity of the organic extract of leachate collected from sludge‐amended lysimeters containing undisturbed monoliths of Weswood silty clay (Fluventic Ustochrept) and Padina loamy sand (Grossarenic Paleustalf) soils. The sludge was applied to 18 barrel‐sized lysimeters, while 6 unamended lysimeters served as controls. The leachate was concentrated on a combined XAD‐2/XAD‐7 resin, and the adsorbed organics were eluted with acetone. The leachate extracts were tested in the standard plate incorporation assay using strain TA98 with and without metabolic activation. Nine of 26 leachate extracts induced a positive response in the bioassay. The maximum specific activity was 207 net revertants per 10 mg induced without metabolic activation in the Weswood soil at the highest application rate (150 Mg/ha). The results suggest that land application of municipal sewage should be carefully managed to prevent leaching of mutagens into ground water.