Evaluation of the toxic and genotoxic potential of landfill leachates using bioassays.

Landfill leachates are liquid effluents with elevated concentrations of chemical compounds that can cause serious environmental pollution. In the south of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, a sanitary landfill was installed that employs a system of anaerobic/facultative lagoons for the treatment of its leachate. The present work examined the toxic and genotoxic potential of untreated and treated landfill leachates using bioassays.