Jc. Codina et al., DETECTION OF HEAVY-METAL TOXICITY AND GENOTOXICITY IN WASTEWATERS BY MICROBIAL ASSAY, Water science and technology, 30(10), 1994, pp. 145-151
Citations number
10
Categorie Soggetti
Water Resources","Environmental Sciences","Engineering, Civil
The effect of wastewater on the sensitivity of toxicity and genotoxici
ty assays for the detection of heavy metals was evaluated. Five microb
iological toxicity tests were used to compare the toxicity of cadmium,
copper, chromium, mercury, nickel, and zinc, both in deionized water
solutions and in wastewater. The toxicity assays employed were: Microt
ox(R), two tests of growth inhibition using Pseudomonas fluorescens, a
nd two spectrophotometric assays of the inhibition of respiration test
using baker's yeast and P. fluorescens. Also, the genotoxic effect of
the assayed metals was evaluated by using the Ames test, the Escheric
hia coli WP2 test, and the SOS test. The sensitivity to metals decreas
es in most of the toxicity and genotoxicity assays; in general, higher
sensitivity thresholds (EC20) in wastewater than in water solutions w
ere determined. Each test shows different sensitivities to each metal,
which is related to different sensitivities of the organisms used in
the assays, as well as to other factors.