Environmental risk assessment of PPP application in European soils and potential ecosystem service losses considering impacts on non-target organisms.

The use of Plant Protection Products (PPPs) is leading to high exposure scenarios with potential risk to soil organisms, including non-target species. Assessment of the effects of PPPs on non-target organisms is one of the most important components of environmental risk assessment (ERA) since they play crucial functions in ecosystems, being main driving forces in different soil processes. As part of the framework, EFSA is proposing the use of the ecosystem services approach for setting specific protection goals.

Predicting environmental concentrations and the potential risk of Plant Protection Products (PPP) on non-target soil organisms accounting for regional and landscape ecological variability in european soils.

Plant Protection Products (PPP) raise concerns as their application may cause effects on some soil organisms considered non-target species which could be highly sensitive to some pesticides. The European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA), in collaboration with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, has developed guidance and a software tool, Persistence in Soil Analytical Model (PERSAM), for conducting soil exposure assessments. EFSA PPR Panel has published recommendations for the risk assessment of non-target soil organisms.

Impacts of sewage sludges deposition on agricultural soils: Effects upon model soil organisms.

During years sewage sludges have been worldwide poured in agricultural soils to enhance vegetal production. The "Landfill 17" located in Gernika-Lumo town (43°19'28.9"N 2°40'30.

Application of in situ bioremediation strategies in soils amended with sewage sludges.

Increasing soil loss and the scarcity of useful land requires new reusing strategies. Thus, recovery of polluted soils recovery offers a chance for economic and social regeneration. With this objective, different soil cleaning technologies have been developed during the last few decades.

Successful remediation of soils with mixed contamination of chromium and lindane: Integration of biological and physico-chemical strategies.

Soils contaminated by organic and inorganic pollutants like Cr(VI) and lindane, is currently a main environmental challenge. Biological strategies, such as biostimulation, bioaugmentation, phytoremediation and vermiremediation, and nanoremediation with nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) are promising approaches for polluted soil health recovery. The combination of different remediation strategies might be key to address this problem.

Gentle remediation options for soil with mixed chromium (VI) and lindane pollution: biostimulation, bioaugmentation, phytoremediation and vermiremediation.

Gentle Remediation Options (GROs), such as biostimulation, bioaugmentation, phytoremediation and vermiremediation, are cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solutions for soils simultaneously polluted with organic and inorganic compounds. This study assessed the individual and combined effectiveness of GROs in recovering the health of a soil artificially polluted with hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] and lindane. A greenhouse experiment was performed using organically-amended non-amended mixed polluted soils.

Effects of elevated temperatures and cadmium exposure on stress biomarkers at different biological complexity levels in Eisenia fetida earthworms.

Several ecotoxicological studies assessed metal toxicity upon soil biota and other communities but were mainly focused on the study of a single chemical and usually under optimal conditions of temperature. Meanwhile an increasing global warming is leading to new scenarios by combining different stress factors; chemical stress and thermal stress. Presently, this study aims to assess the joint effects produced by cadmium and elevated temperature on earthworms different levels of biological complexity.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of a bioremediation process in experimental soils polluted with chromium and lindane.

Bioremediation using actinobacterium consortia proved to be a promising alternative for the purification of co-contaminated environments. In this sense, the quadruple consortium composed of Streptomyces sp. M7, MC1, A5, and Amycolatopsis tucumanensis AB0 has been able to remove significant levels of Cr(VI) and lindane from anthropogenically contaminated soils.

Responses to silver nanoparticles and silver nitrate in a battery of biomarkers measured in coelomocytes and in target tissues of Eisenia fetida earthworms.

The current use and development of applications with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) could lead to potential inputs of these NPs to soils. Consequently, it is crucial to understand the ecotoxicological risks posed by Ag NPs in the terrestrial compartment. In the present investigation, the effects produced by PVP-PEI coated Ag NPs were assessed in Eisenia fetida earthworms in comparison with the soluble form (AgNO).