The effects of polystyrene microparticles on the environmental availability and bioavailability of As, Cd and Hg in soil for the land snail Cantareus aspersus.

The combined contamination of terrestrial environments by metal(loid)s (MEs) and microplastics (MPs) is a major environmental issue. Once MPs enter soils, they can interact with MEs and modify their environmental availability, environmental bioavailability, and potential toxic effects on biota. Although research efforts have been made to describe the underlying mechanisms driving MP and ME interactions, the effects of MPs on ME bioavailability in terrestrial Mollusca have not yet been documented.

Ecogenotoxicity assessment with land snails: A mini-review.

In the context of the increasing environmental and sanitary crisis, it is accepted that soil pollution can cause health alterations and disturb natural population dynamics. Consequently, the assessment of the genotoxic potential of compounds found in contaminated soils is important. Indeed, the alteration of genomic integrity may increase the risk of cancer development and may impair reproduction and long-term population dynamics.

Polyethylene microplastic toxicity to the terrestrial snail Cantareus aspersus: size matters.

Plastic has become the most widespread human-made material and small fragments (< 5mm, so called microplastics, MPs) accumulate in all the ecosystems. It is now admitted that the terrestrial environment represents an important sink for MPs and it has only recently become the focus of research, notably in ecotoxicology. In spite of a growing body of evidence regarding the potential effects of MPs on soil biota, more efforts are needed to address issues in this field.

In situ and ex situ bioassays with Cantareus aspersus for environmental risk assessment of metal(loid) and PAH-contaminated soils.

Environmental risk assessment of contaminated soils requires bioindicators that allow the assessment of bioavailability and toxicity of chemicals. Although many bioassays can determine the ecotoxicity of soil samples in the laboratory, few are available and standardized for on-site application. Bioassays based on specific threshold values that assess the in situ and ex situ bioavailability and risk of metal(loid)s and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils to the land snail Cantareus aspersus have never been simultaneously applied to the same soils.

From environmental bioavailability of metal(loid)s to their ecogenotoxicological effects in land snails.

To date, no study has linked the environmental and the ecogenotoxicological bioavailability of contaminants to land snails. Yet, understanding the specific ecotoxicological mechanisms from bioaccumulation to genotoxicity is necessary e.g.

Origin, fate and ecotoxicity of manganese from legacy metallurgical wastes.

Over the course of history, mining and metallurgical activities have influenced the socioeconomic development of human populations. However, these past and current activities can also lead to substantial environmental contamination by various metals. Here, we used an interdisciplinary approach (incorporating archaeology, mineralogy, environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology) to investigate the origin, fate and potential ecotoxicity of anomalous manganese (Mn) concentrations detected in the ancient mining district of Berthelange (medieval period, eastern France).

Transfer of sulfidized silver from silver nanoparticles, in sewage sludge, to plants and primary consumers in agricultural soil environment.

Consumer products containing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) release silver (Ag) to the environment, particularly wastewater. Sewage sludge (SS), which contains numerous contaminants including Ag, is recycled by spreading on agricultural land. Although slight impacts and bioaccumulation of Ag sulfide (AgS, the main species found in SS) in terrestrial organisms have been demonstrated, possible trophic transfer into plants and subsequently animal species has not been examined.

Combining human and snail indicators for an integrative risk assessment of metal(loid)-contaminated soils.

With the new soil uses such as land restoration and to protect wilderness, the human health risk assessment (HHRA) and environmental risk assessment (ERA) should be combined. Based on the relationships demonstrated between an indicator of soil quality, the land snail, and human exposure, the aim of this study is to examine the snail and human risk indicators for twenty-nine soils contaminated by metal(loid)s. HHRA was evaluated by both hazard quotient and carcinogenic risk.

From bioavailability to risk assessment of polluted soil using snails: link between excess transfer and inhibition of sexual maturation.

An accurate assessment of the environmental risk of soils contaminated by metal(loid)s (MEs) requires quantifying exposure and knowing the toxicity of contaminants transferred to biota. For this purpose, two indices have been developed with the bioindicator Cantareus aspersus to assess exposure (SET: sum of the excess of transfer) and risk (ERITME: evaluation of the risk of the transferred metal elements) of multi-contaminated soils. If the SET and ERITME indices allow characterization of exposure and risk based on unspecific toxicity points, then the link between these indices and real effects on some toxicological endpoints, such as growth or sexual maturation, remains to be demonstrated.

Impact of ageing and soil contaminants on telomere length in the land snail.

Telomeres (TLs) are non-coding DNA sequences that are usually shortened with ageing and/or chemical exposure. Bioindicators such as the land snail can be used to assess the environmental risk of contaminated soils. As for most invertebrates, the evolution of TLs with ageing or exposure to contaminants is unknown in this mollusc.

Ex situ environmental risk assessment of polluted soils using threshold guide values for the land snail Cantareus aspersus.

Environmental risk assessment of contaminated soils should ideally be carried out with complementary approaches (chemical and biological) conducted in situ and ex situ. While biological methods based on the assessment of effect and bioaccumulation in bioindicators exist for soil fauna organisms, such as land snails, the methodology is currently limited in the field to 14 metallic elements (MEs). To provide new relevant tools to the stakeholders of polluted fields, the aim of this work is to determine ex situ threshold guide values (ex situ TGVs), for 15 MEs, 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 7 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Assessing natural clays of a contaminated site to stabilize and reduce the ecotoxicity of a coal tar.

Stabilization/solidification is widely used for the immobilization of pollutants in matrices. This work addresses the effect of illite amendment to a liquid coal tar on organic compounds (OCs) immobilization, especially PAHs and BTEX. For practical purpose, illite was selected as raw clay material available on the coal tar contaminated site.

Urban soil phytomanagement for Zn and Cd in situ removal, greening, and Zn-rich biomass production taking care of snail exposure.

The phytoextraction potential of Arabidopsis halleri (L.) O'Kane & Al Shehbaz and Salix viminalis L. to partially remove Zn and Cd in soil was investigated.

Bioaccessibility of metal(loid)s in soils to humans and their bioavailability to snails: A way to associate human health and ecotoxicological risk assessment?

Human health risk assessment (HHRA) and ecotoxicological risk assessment (ERA) of contaminated soils are frequently performed separately and based on total soil concentrations without considering the concepts of mobility, bioaccessibility and bioavailability. However, some chemical and biological assays rarely used in combination can be applied to more accurately assess the exposure of organisms to metal(loid)s and thus to better estimate the links between soil contamination and effects. For humans, the unified bioaccessibility method (UBM) assesses oral bioaccessibility, while for soil fauna such as land snails, the bioaccumulation test reflects the bioavailability of contaminants.

Telomere dynamic in humans and animals: Review and perspectives in environmental toxicology.

Telomeres (TLs) play major roles in stabilizing the genome and are usually shortened with ageing. The maintenance of TLs is ensured by two mechanisms involving telomerase (TA) enzyme and alternative lengthening telomeres (ALT). TL shortening and/or TA inhibition have been related to health effects on organisms (leading to reduced reproductive lifespan and survival), suggesting that they could be key processes in toxicity mechanisms (at molecular and cellular levels) and relevant as an early warning of exposure and effect of chemicals on human health and animal population dynamics.

Assessment of the bioavailability and depuration of uranium, cesium and thorium in snails (Cantareus aspersus) using kinetics models.

Uranium ore waste has led to soil contamination that may affect both environmental and soil health. To analyze the risk of metal transfer, metal bioavailability must be estimated by measuring biological parameters. Kinetic studies allow taking into account the dynamic mechanisms of bioavailability, as well as the steady state concentration in organisms necessary to take into account for relevant risk assessment.

A full life-cycle bioassay with Cantareus aspersus shows reproductive effects of a glyphosate-based herbicide suggesting potential endocrine disruption.

A full life-cycle (240 days) bioassay using the terrestrial snail, Cantareus aspersus, allowing exposure during embryogenesis and/or the growth and reproduction phases, was used to assess the effects of Bypass, a glyphosate-based herbicide (GlyBH), on a range of endpoints, including parameters under endocrine control. As a positive control, a mixture (R-A) made of diquat (Reglone) and nonylphenols (NP, Agral), known for its endocrine disrupting effects in other organisms, was tested. At environmental concentrations, both pesticides (R-A mixture and GlyBH) enhanced growth but reduced reproduction.

Palaeo-pollution from mining activities in the Vosges Mountains: 1000 years and still bioavailable.

Mining and smelting activities have contaminated the environment with trace metals (TMs) at a worldwide scale for at least two millennia. A combination of chemical approaches and active biomonitoring was performed to analyse the environmental availability and bioavailability of TM palaeo-pollution in a former PbAg mining district in the Vosges Mountains, France. Along a soil TM contamination gradient that covered eight stations, including two archaeological mining sites, the toxicokinetics of six TMs (Pb, Cd, As, Ag, Co, Sb) in the snail Cantareus aspersus revealed that palaeo-pollution from the studied sites remains bioavailable.

How contamination sources and soil properties can influence the Cd and Pb bioavailability to snails.

To better understand the fate of metals in the environment, numerous parameters must be studied, such as the soil properties and the different sources of contamination for the organisms. Among bioindicators of soil quality, the garden snail (Cantareus aspersus) integrates multiple sources (e.g.

Metallothionein gene expression in embryos of the terrestrial snail (Cantareus aspersus) exposed to cadmium and copper in the Bordeaux mixture.

The response specificity of three metallothionein (MT) genes (CdMT, CuMT and Cd/CuMT) was assessed after long-term exposure (20 days) of Cantareus aspersus eggs to cadmium (Cd) (2 to 6 mg/L) or to the fungicide Bordeaux mixture (BM) (2.5 and 7.5 g/L).

Mercury toxicity to terrestrial snails in a partial life cycle experiment.

Despite growing concerns about the potential adverse effects of elevated mercury (Hg) concentrations in the terrestrial environment, only a few toxicity data are available for soil invertebrates. The chronic toxicity of inorganic Hg-Hg(II)--through food or soil contaminations was therefore assessed for the snail Cantareus aspersus, a well-recognized soil quality bioindicator. The 28-day EC50s (the concentrations causing 50% effect) for the snail growth were 600 and 5048 mg Hg kg(-1) for food and soil, respectively.

Differential sensitivity of snail embryos to cadmium: relation to age and metallothionein gene expression.

The aim of this study was to determine whether cadmium (Cd) sensitivity of Cantareus aspersus embryos is age-dependent and influenced by metallothionein (MT) gene expression. Hatching success and the expression of three MT isoform genes (Ca-CdMT, Ca-CuMT and Ca-Cd/CuMT) were measured in embryos exposed to increasing Cd concentrations for 24 h starting on the sixth day of development. Isoform gene expression was quantified on days 7 and 12 after exposure.

Genotoxicity assessment of pesticides on terrestrial snail embryos by analysis of random amplified polymorphic DNA profiles.

The study explores the relevance of coupling Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and a High-Resolution capillary electrophoresis System (HRS) method for assessing the genotoxic potential of the wide variety commercial formulations of pesticides. Using this technique, the genotoxic potential of a glyphosate-based herbicide (Roundup Flash(®) (RU)) and two fungicide formulations based on tebuconazole and copper (Corail(®) and Bordeaux mixture (BM), respectively) was evaluated on terrestrial snail embryos. Clutches of Cantareus aspersus were exposed during their entire embryonic development to a range of concentration around the EC50 values (based on hatching success) for each compound tested.

In situ assessment of phyto and zooavailability of trace elements: A complementary approach to chemical extraction procedures.

For an accurate risk assessment of sites contaminated by trace elements (TE), measurements of bioavailability must be performed. This is routinely achieved using the standardized 0.01M CaCl2 method.