Are the Brazilian prevention values for copper and zinc in soils suitable for protecting earthworms against metal toxicity?

The current Brazilian copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) prevention values (PV) for soil quality do not take into account the ecotoxicological impacts on soil organisms, which suggests these guiding values may not be protective of soil ecological trophic levels. This study assessed the acute (mortality) and chronic toxicity (reproduction), as well as the cumulative (bioaccumulation) potential of Cu and Zn (pseudo-total and available fractions) for earthworms Eisenia andrei in a Tropical Artificial Soil (TAS) and two tropical field soils (Oxisol and Alfisol). Toxicity data based on pseudo-total fractions were compared to PV.

Evaluation of sugar-cane vinasse treated with Pleurotus sajor-caju utilizing aquatic organisms as toxicological indicators.

Toxicity tests with aquatic organisms constitute an effective tool in the evaluation, prediction and detection of the potential effect of pollutants from environmental samples in living organisms. Vinasse, a highly colored effluent, is a sub-product rich in nutrients, mainly organic matter, with high pollutant potential when disposed in the environment. Assays for vinasse decolorization were performed using the fungus Pleurotus sajor-caju CCB020 in vinasse biodegradation study, were occurred reductions of 82.