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(09-06) Bioavailability of contaminants in field-polluted soils to earthworms (Eisenia andrei, Aporrectodea caliginosa, Oligochaeta). Fleuren, Roel1, Jager, Tjalling*,1, Van der Wal, Leon2, De Groot, Arthur1, 1 National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Laboratory for Ecotoxicology, Bilthoven, The Netherlands2 IRAS, Utrecht, The Netherlands ABSTRACT- In The Netherlands, many contaminated sites can be found, but the bioavailability of the contaminants present in these areas is not well-known. The purpose of this study was to test the bioavailability of several contaminants in field-polluted soils to earthworms in the laboratory. Furthermore, internal concentrations of contaminants were compared with the levels found in earthworms collected from the sampled sites. In the seventies, dredge spoils from the Rotterdam harbour, containing elevated concentrations of heavy metals and drins, were deposited on several locations. One of these locations is currently a semi-natural park. In this research, samples of field-polluted soil from two sites in this park were taken and earthworms from the location were collected. Two different earthworm species were used in bioassays (E. andrei and A. caliginosa) to investigate the dynamic accumulation and elimination of drins, PCBs, PAHs and heavy metals. Both earthworm species performed poorly in soil samples from one site, which was indicated by a decreasing body weight and burrowing activity. Interestingly, the only species found in the field at this particular site was Lumbricus castaneus. Accumulation and elimination curves for different pollutants were established and interpreted in terms of bioavailability of contaminants. Next, these results were compared to the levels of contaminants found in earthworms collected from the two sites. Key words: drins, earthworms, bioavailability, bioaccumulation |
