Ecotoxicity tests for compost applications

Interest in the ecological effects of composting has been growing recently. However, no established methods are available fbr testing the toxicity of composted materials. Despite this, international and national quality requi rements define that compost shall not contain any environmentally harmful s ubstances. Safety requirements have to be fulfilled if the produced compost is intended for agricultural use, This literature review focuses on method s that could potentially be used to evaluate the ecotoxicity of compost. Th e toxicity test methods discussed are those employing microbes, enzymes, so il fauna, and plants, (C) 2001 Academic Press.