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Toxicity assessment for petroleum-contaminated soil using terrestrial invertebrates and plant bioassays

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Abstract

The assessment of soil quality after a chemical or oil spill and/or remediation effort may be measured by evaluating the toxicity of soil organisms. To enhance our understanding of the soil quality resulting from laboratory and oil field spill remediation, we assessed toxicity levels by using earthworms and springtails testing and plant growth experiments. Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH)-contaminated soil samples were collected from an oilfield in Sfax, Tunisia. Two types of bioassays were performed. The first assessed the toxicity of spiked crude oil (API gravity 32) in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development artificial soil. The second evaluated the habitat function through the avoidance responses of earthworms and springtails and the ability of Avena sativa to grow in TPH-contaminated soils diluted with farmland soil. The EC50 of petroleum-contaminated soil for earthworms was 644 mg of TPH/kg of soil at 14 days, with 67 % of the earthworms dying after 14 days when the TPH content reached 1,000 mg/kg. The average germination rate, calculated 8 days after sowing, varied between 64 and 74 % in low contaminated soils and less than 50 % in highly contaminated soils.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to Prof. Chris Carr from the University of California for English proofreading. The authors acknowledge the help and support of Dr. Adam Scheffczyk and Dr. Jörg Römbke from ECT Oekotoxikologie GmbH. Flörsheim; Germany

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Sfax, Laboratory of Water, Energy and Environment, National School of Engineers of Sfa (ENIS), P.O. Box 1173, 3038, Sfax, Tunisia

    Olfa Hentati, Mariem Ayadi & Mohamed Ksibi

  2. University of Sfax, High Institute of Biotechnology of Sfax (ISBS), P.O. Box 1175, 3038, Sfax, Tunisia

    Olfa Hentati, Radhia Lachhab & Mohamed Ksibi

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  1. Olfa Hentati
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  2. Radhia Lachhab
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  3. Mariem Ayadi
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  4. Mohamed Ksibi
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Correspondence to Olfa Hentati.

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Hentati, O., Lachhab, R., Ayadi, M. et al. Toxicity assessment for petroleum-contaminated soil using terrestrial invertebrates and plant bioassays. Environ Monit Assess 185, 2989–2998 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-012-2766-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-012-2766-y

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