Report on the fifth meeting of INRA’s national network of ecotoxicologists,ECOTOX

The fifth meeting of INRA’s national network of ecotoxicologists took place on 25 to 27 November 2014 in Biarritz, France. The main aim of the meeting was to bring together ecotoxicologists from INRA and associated partners, providing them ample opportunity to share and discuss their latest scientific results as well as the national policy of research in ecotoxicology and to precise perspectives for the network.     

Impact of temperature on the dynamics of organic matter and on the soil-to-plant transfer of Cd,Zn and Pb in a contaminated agricultural soil

Predicting the soil-to-plant transfer of metals in the context of global warming has become a major issue for food safety. It requires a better understanding of how the temperature alters the bioavailability of metals in cultivated soils. This study focuses on one agricultural soil contaminated by Cd, Zn and Pb. DGT measurements were performed at 10, 20 and 30 °C to assess how the bioavailability of metals was affected by a rise in soil temperature. A lettuce crop was cultivated in the same conditions to determine if the soil-to-plant transfer of metals increased with a rise in soil temperature. A gradual decline in Cd and Zn bioavailability was observed from 10 to 30 °C, which was attributed to more intense complexation of metals in the pore water at higher temperatures. Together with its aromaticity, the affinity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) for metals was indeed suspected to increase with soil temperature. One main output of the present work is a model which satisfactorily explains the thermal-induced changes in the characteristics of DOM reported in Cornu et al. (Geoderma 162:65–70, 2011) by assuming that the mineralization of initial aliphatic compounds followed a first-order reaction, increased with soil temperature according to the Arrhenius law, and due to a priming effect, led to the appearance of aromatic molecules. The soil-to-plant transfer of Cd and Zn was promoted at higher soil temperatures despite a parallel decrease in Cd and Zn bioavailability. This suggests that plant processes affect the soil-to-plant transfer of Cd and Zn the most when the soil temperature rises.     

Metal concentrations in edible mushrooms following municipal sludge application on forest land

In the context of biosolids utilisation in forestry, effects of sludge application on mushroom metal concentration were studied in six sites of maritime pine forests in the South-West of France. Municipal sludge were applied at a rate of 6 T dry matter per hectare. Edible mushrooms were collected two years after sludge application. As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Se and Zn concentrations were determined. Results showed a high variability for trace element concentrations in mushrooms collected from control areas. No significant correlation was found between soil parameters (pH and trace elements concentrations) and mushroom trace element concentrations. Even if the concentration of trace metals increased in the soils, sludge application did not affect As, Cu, Se and Zn concentrations in carpophores but slightly increased Cd, Pb and Hg concentrations on some sites. This effect is dependent on sludge type and sites.     

Is metal extraction by Arabidopsis halleri related to exchangeable metal rates in soils amended with different metal-bearing solids?

Metals are associated to various constituents in polluted soils, and their availability is closely related to their chemical speciation. Studies on relations between metal extraction efficiency by hyperaccumulators and location of metals with respect to soil constituents are scarce. In this study. we investigate the relationship between metal extraction by Arabidopsis halleri and the exchangeable metals from substrates amended with various metal-bearing solids collected in the vicinity of a Zn smelter complex. These consisted of fresh and decomposing organic matter, the soil clay fraction, and two types of waste slags. ZnSO4 was also used as metal-bearing solid. Each was mixed with an unpolluted soil to produce two types of substrate, one moderately polluted and the other highly polluted. Total Zinc, Cd, Cu, and Pb were measured in substrates and in roots and shoots of A. halleri. Analysis of 0.01 M CaCl2 exchangeable metals in each substrate was performed before and after plant growth. The results showed different concentrations of exchangeable metals after plant growth, depending on the nature of the metal-bearing solids. In the ZnSO4 soil substrate, the proportion of exchangeable Zn decreased after plant growth, whilst it increased significantly on substrates amended with the two waste slags. For the other substrates, exchangeable Zn was not significantly different before and after plant growth. The same trend was observed for Cd. In the case of Cu, exchangeable rates increased in all substrates. The results were discussed according to the characteristics of the metal-bearing solids and to the metal-uptake strategy of A. halleri.     

A 25-year record of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils amended with sewage sludges

We studied polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in crop soils amended with 1000 tonnes dry weight of sewage sludges per 10,000 m² from 1974 to 1992, then after sludges addition from 1993 to 1999. The absence of variations of total PAHs levels of control soils, averaging at 123 μg/Kg, shows the absence of horizontal contamination. During sludges addition, the total PAHs levels in amended soils increased from 232 to 402 μg/Kg. Seven years after sludges addition, it decreased to 275 μg/Kg, which is still more than twice –the levels of control soils. This finding shows that sludges PAHs are preserved in crop soils for long periods of time, on a human scale.     

TBT and TPhT persistence in a sludged soil

The persistence of tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPhT) in soils was studied, taking into consideration the quantity of sewage sludge, TBT and TPhT concentrations in soil as well as the soil pH. The organotin compounds (OTC) were introduced into the soil via a spiked urban sludge, simulating agricultural practise. OTC speciation was achieved after acidic extraction of soil samples followed by gas chromatography–pulsed flame photometric analysis (GC–PFPD). Leaching tests conducted on a spiked sludge showed that more than 98% of TBT are sorbed on the sludge. TBT persistence in soil appeared to depend on its initial concentration in sludge. Thus, it was more important when concentration is over 1000 μg(Sn) kg⁻¹ of sludge. More than 50% of the initial TBT added into the soil were still present after 2 months, whatever the experimental conditions. The main degradation product appeared to be dibutyltin. About 90% of TPhT were initially sorbed on sludge, whatever the spiking concentration in sludge was. However, TPhT seemed to be quantitatively exchangeable at the solid/liquid interface, according to the leaching tests. It was also significantly degraded in sludged soil as only about 20% of TPhT remain present after 2 months, the monophenyltin being the main degradation product. pH had a significant positive effect on TBT and particularly TPhT persistence, according to the initial amounts introduced into the soil. Thus, at pH over 7 and triorganotin concentration over 100 μg(Sn) kg⁻¹, less than 10% of TBT but about 60% of TPhT were degraded. When the sludge was moderately contaminated by triorganotins (typically 50 μg(Sn) kg⁻¹ in our conditions) the pH had no effect on TBT and TPhT persistence.     

Kinetic degradation processes of butyl- and phenyltins in soils

The degradation of organotin compounds (OTC) in agricultural and forest soils is studied in sandy soil samples. Individual experiments involving the three butyl- and the three phenyltins were carried out during 90 d in controlled conditions (darkness, 28 degrees C, aerobic conditions, 13% moisture) and with spiking concentration representative of environmental levels (20-50 micrg(Sn) kg(-1)). After the validation of first-order degradation kinetic model, mechanisms involved throughout the study were considered. Degradation pathways are proposed for butyl- and phenyltins and discussed according to literature data. The degradation of mono- (MBT, MPhT), di-organotins (DBT, DPhT) and TBT is clearly identified as a single successive loss of an organic group whereas TPhT is directly degraded to MPhT. The half-life times were dependent on their substitution degree, ranging from 24 (TPhT) to 220 (MBT) d. The less substituted the OTC is, the more persistent it is. In the range 4.3-5.7, pH does not seem to influence OTC degradation under the present operating conditions. Finally this study shows the significant persistence in soil samples in our experimental conditions for most of studied organotins and highlights the potential impact on soil quality.     

Dissolved and colloidal transport of Cd, Pb, and Zn in a silt loam soil affected by atmospheric industrial deposition.

As a result of processing of metal ores, trace metals have contaminated large areas of northern France. Metal migration from the soil to groundwater presents an environmental risk that depends on the physico-chemical properties of each contaminated soil. Soil water samples were obtained over the course of 1 year with zero-tension lysimeters from an acidic, loamy, metal contaminated soil. The average trace metal concentrations in the soil water were high (e.g. for Zn 11 mg l-1 under the surface horizon), but they varied during the sampling period. Zn concentrations were not correlated with pH or total organic carbon in the solutions but were correlated with Cd concentrations. On average, 95% of the Zn and Cd but only 50% of Pb was present in a dissolved form. Analytical transmission electron microscopy was used to identify the Zn or Pb carriers. Colloids containing Pb and Zn were biocolloids, whereas colloids containing only Zn were smectites.