Ref ID : 4447
K. Lock and C.R. Janssen; Toxicity of Arsenate to the Compostworm Eisenia fetida, the Potworm Enchytraeus albidus and the Springtail Folsomia candida. Bull.Environ.Contam.Toxicol. 68:760-765, 2002
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Elevated arsenic concentrations in terrestrial environments are associated with anthropogenic pollution through mining and smelting of arsenic ores or other metal ores with a high arsenic content, and application of arsenic-based pesticides used as for wood preservation (Tamaki and Frankenburger 1992). The dominant form of mineralized arsenic in oxic soils is arsenate, with small traces of arsenite and organic arsenicals (Cullen and Reimer 1989; Tamaki and Frankenburger 1992). Because of its widespread use and potential adverse effects on the environment, arsenic is receiving increased interest from various national and international regulatory organisations. However, the only toxicity data reported for soil invertebrates are a few studies on earthworms (Fischer and Koszorus 1992; Meharg et al. 1998; Langdon et al. 1999). The present study was therefore aimed at providing basic toxicity that are required to perform an environmental risk assessment of arsenic. The calculation of a predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) and a hazardous concentration for five percent of the species (HC5), which are used to derive soil quality criteria, rely on high quality chronic toxicity data, and therefore chronic toxicity tests were performed with the compostworm Eisenia fetida, the potworm Enchytraeus albidus and the springtail Folsomia candida, three invertebrates for which a standard test protocol is available.