Ecological risk assessment for land contaminated by petrochemical industry.

Contamination with harmful chemical substances, including organic compounds of the BTEX and PAH groups, constitutes one of the major threats to the functioning of soil habitat. Excessive contents of the above substances can exert adverse effects on soil organisms, reduce biodiversity, and thus deteriorate soil quality. The threat to soil ecosystems within areas particularly exposed to contamination with accumulating chemical compounds was assessed using the Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) with a multi-stage Triad (triage rapid initial assessment) procedure (taking into account the different lines of evidence).

Characterization and mass spectrometry analysis of aminopeptidase N from Pseudomononas putida Lup.

An intracellular aminopeptidase N synthesized by Pseudomonas putida Lup was purified and characterized. The approx. 150-fold purified enzyme showed highest activity against A-beta-naphthylamide at pH 7.