Hazard assessment of chemical contaminants in soil.

Disposal practices, accidental spills, leakages and local aerial deposition occurring in the past have led to local soil pollution in many cases. Especially in situations where people live on or nearby such locations this has created concern about possible adverse effects on human health. A stepped approach to the hazard assessment of polluted soil, as developed by a Task Force from the European Chemical Industry Ecology and Toxicology Centre (ECETOC), is described.

Toxicological assessment of river water quality in bioassays with fish.

A series of bioassays with fish was developed in order to evaluate toxicological aspects of polluted rivers in The Netherlands. A long term exposition of trout to riverwater under standardized conditions enables the detection of pathological effects such as growth retardation, liver and kidney enlargement and changes in clinical blood parameters. Bioaccumulation of heavy metals and organochlorine compounds can also be measured.

Induction of sister-chromatid exchanges in fish exposed to Rhine water.

The induction was studied of sister-chromatid exchanges in gill and testis of fish exposed to Rhine water. The eastern mudminnow, Umbra pygmaea, was chosen because the usefulness of this species with a karyotype of 22 large chromosomes had been demonstrated in cytogenetic mutagenicity testing. Fish exposed to Rhine water for 3 and 11 days showed a 2-fold and 3-fold higher SCE rate resp.

Cytogenetic changes in fish exposed to water of the river Rhine.

The induction of chromosome aberrations in fishes, exposed to Rhinewater, was investigated. The mudminnow, Umbra pygmaea, was chosen for this study, because of its ideal karyotype of 22 large chromosomes. Gill cells were used for chromosome studies.