Premium
Bacterial Bioreporter‐Based Mercury and Phenanthrene Assessment in Yangtze River Delta Soils of China
Author(s) -
He Wei,
Hu ZongHao,
Yuan Sheng,
Zhong WenHui,
Mei YanZhen,
Dai ChuanChao
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq2017.07.0286
Subject(s) - environmental chemistry , bioreporter , soil water , mercury (programming language) , environmental science , contamination , soil contamination , soil test , phenanthrene , pollutant , chemistry , environmental engineering , soil science , ecology , biology , reporter gene , biochemistry , gene expression , organic chemistry , computer science , gene , programming language
Genetically engineered bacterial whole‐cell bioreporters were deployed to investigate bioavailable mercury (b‐Hg) and phenanthrene (b‐PHE). Characterized by high sensitivity and specificity in aqueous solutions, the bioreporter system could detect in amended soils the concentrations of b‐Hg and b‐PHE in the ranges of 19.6 to 111.6 and 21.5 to 110.9 μg kg −1 , respectively. The sensitivity of the system allowed for the combined analysis of b‐Hg and b‐PHE from real environmental samples. Therefore, soil samples from three large refinery facilities were tested, and the results from the instrumental analysis strongly correlated with the ones obtained with the bioreporter method. Large‐scale and fast screening of soil contamination across the Yangtze River Delta in Eastern China was conducted. More than 36% of the samples contained b‐Hg, whereas the fractions of b‐PHE were below the detection limit for all the samples. These results indicated a higher toxicity and more hazardous condition for Hg contamination than for PHE. Population densities and airborne 10‐μm particulate matter (PM10) concentrations were used as parameters for comparison with the spatial distribution of the b‐Hg and b‐PHE fractions. The results revealed that the bioreporters could offer a rapid and cost‐efficient method to test soil samples from contaminated areas and provide a screening tool for environmental risk assessment. Core Ideas Bacterial biosensor exposure allows the assessment of bioavailable Hg/PHE in soil. Bacterial biosensors were effective in wide‐range soil screening across the YRD. Oil refineries and air pollution affect distribution of bioavailable Hg/PHE in YRD soil.