Microbial Bioassays to Assess the Toxicity of Solid-Associated Contaminants

Due to the effects that sediment or soil matrices have on the bioavailability of compounds, it has been difficult to screen toxicity of solid-associated contaminants. The majority of microbial assays for testing toxicity of soils and sediments have been performed on water or solvent extracts. These procedures lead to a fractionation of the toxicity, which may underestimate or overestimate exposure routes and consequently potential adverse environmental effects. Recently, a solid-phase Microtox assay which eliminates the need for soil extracts and utilizes whole sediments or soils has been developed. This report describes a toxicity testing procedure using the inhibition of dehydrogenase enzyme activity of Bacillus cereus as test parameter. Studies with soil samples and a synthetic sediment spiked with organic contaminants and copper indicate the higher sensitivity of both solid-phase bioassays compared to water extract testing. A comparison of the results demonstrates that the B. cereus contact test is more sensitive for copper than the Photobacterium phosphoreum solid-phase test.