The effects of polystyrene microparticles on the environmental availability and bioavailability of As, Cd and Hg in soil for the land snail Cantareus aspersus.

The combined contamination of terrestrial environments by metal(loid)s (MEs) and microplastics (MPs) is a major environmental issue. Once MPs enter soils, they can interact with MEs and modify their environmental availability, environmental bioavailability, and potential toxic effects on biota. Although research efforts have been made to describe the underlying mechanisms driving MP and ME interactions, the effects of MPs on ME bioavailability in terrestrial Mollusca have not yet been documented.

Ecogenotoxicity assessment with land snails: A mini-review.

In the context of the increasing environmental and sanitary crisis, it is accepted that soil pollution can cause health alterations and disturb natural population dynamics. Consequently, the assessment of the genotoxic potential of compounds found in contaminated soils is important. Indeed, the alteration of genomic integrity may increase the risk of cancer development and may impair reproduction and long-term population dynamics.

Polyethylene microplastic toxicity to the terrestrial snail Cantareus aspersus: size matters.

Plastic has become the most widespread human-made material and small fragments (< 5mm, so called microplastics, MPs) accumulate in all the ecosystems. It is now admitted that the terrestrial environment represents an important sink for MPs and it has only recently become the focus of research, notably in ecotoxicology. In spite of a growing body of evidence regarding the potential effects of MPs on soil biota, more efforts are needed to address issues in this field.

In situ and ex situ bioassays with Cantareus aspersus for environmental risk assessment of metal(loid) and PAH-contaminated soils.

Environmental risk assessment of contaminated soils requires bioindicators that allow the assessment of bioavailability and toxicity of chemicals. Although many bioassays can determine the ecotoxicity of soil samples in the laboratory, few are available and standardized for on-site application. Bioassays based on specific threshold values that assess the in situ and ex situ bioavailability and risk of metal(loid)s and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils to the land snail Cantareus aspersus have never been simultaneously applied to the same soils.

From environmental bioavailability of metal(loid)s to their ecogenotoxicological effects in land snails.

To date, no study has linked the environmental and the ecogenotoxicological bioavailability of contaminants to land snails. Yet, understanding the specific ecotoxicological mechanisms from bioaccumulation to genotoxicity is necessary e.g.