The Influence of Soil Characteristics on the Toxicity of Oil Refinery Waste for the Springtail Folsomia candida (Collembola).

We determined the toxicity of oil refinery waste in three soils using the springtail Folsomia candida (Collembola) in bioassays. Sublethal exposure to a concentration series of API-sludge presented EC50's for reproduction of 210 mg/kg in site soil; 880 mg/kg in LUFA2.2- and 3260 mg/kg in OECD-soil.

Biomarker responses and morphological effects in juvenile tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus following sequential exposure to the organophosphate azinphos-methyl.

Pesticides are contaminants of aquatic environments. Such ecosystems in the Western Cape, South Africa are at risk as most organophosphates are highly toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms. The objective of this experimental study was firstly to determine the acute toxicity of azinphos-methyl (AZP) to juvenile fish (Oreochromis mossambicus) and, secondly, to investigate the effects of repeated exposure of fish to an array of sublethal concentrations on morphological parameters such as growth, condition factor and organ-somatic indices.

Combined effects of metal contamination and temperature on the potworm Enchytraeus doerjesi (Oligochaeta).

Cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) toxicity in Enchytraeus doerjesi after 28-day exposure experiments was studied at 15, 20, and 25 °C. Cd lethal concentration (LC)(50) decreased with increasing temperature (293.01 mg kg(-1) at 15 °C, 261.

Acute and sublethal effects of sequential exposure to the pesticide azinphos-methyl on juvenile earthworms (Eisenia andrei).

The use of organophosphate pesticides is an integral part of commercial farming activities and these substances have been implicated as a major source of environmental contamination and may impact on a range of non-target fauna. The extent to which soil dwelling non-target organisms are affected by exposure to the organophosphate azinphos-methyl was investigated through monitoring selected biomarker responses and life cycle effects under laboratory conditions in the earthworm Eisenia andrei. Standard acute toxicity tests were conducted followed by a sequential exposure regime experiment, in order to assess the effects of multiple pesticide applications on biomarker (cholinesterase activity and neutral red retention time), life-cycle (growth and reproduction) and behaviour (avoidance and burrowing activity) responses.

Effects of metal pollution on earthworm communities in a contaminated floodplain area: Linking biomarker, community and functional responses.

Effects on earthworms in the contaminated floodplain area the Biesbosch, the Netherlands, were determined at different levels of organization using a combination of field and laboratory tests. The species Lumbricus rubellus, collected from different polluted sites in the Biesbosch, showed reduced values for the biomarker neutral red retention time (NRRT), mainly explained by high metal concentrations in the soil and the resulting high internal copper concentrations in the earthworms. Organic pollutant levels in earthworms were low and did not explain reduced NRRTs.

Recovery of cholinesterase activity in the earthworm Eisenia fetida Savigny following exposure to chlorpyrifos.

Organophosphorus (OP) insecticides inhibit cholinesterase activity, an essential process in the nervous system of most animals. Re-establishment of active enzymes is slow and depends on elimination of the insecticide from the body followed by two lengthy processes: Reactivation and/or biosynthesis of new enzymes. Earthworms (Eisenia fetida) were exposed to either clean or chlorpyrifos-containing (240 mg/kg) soil for 48 h.

Lysosomal response of earthworm (Eisenia fetida) coelomocytes to the fungicide copper oxychloride and relation to life-cycle parameters.

Juvenile specimens of the earthworm species Eisenia fetida Savigny, 1826, were exposed in the laboratory to a range of concentrations of the fungicide copper oxychloride. After an eight-week exposure period, the neutral-red retention (NRR) times were measured in the coelomocytes of all the worms that had matured. Life-cycle traits (survival, biomass change, cocoon production, cocoon mass, hatching of cocoons, number of hatchlings) were also monitored.