Bioassays were used in a three‐phase research project to (a) assess the comparative sensitivity of test organisms to known classes of chemicals, (b) determine if the chemical components in field soil and water samples of unknown chemical composition could be inferred from laboratory studies using pure chemicals and (c) investigate kriging (a relatively new statistical “mapping” technique) and bioassays as methods to define the areal extent of chemical contamination. The algal assay generally was most sensitive to samples of pure chemicals, soil elutriates and water from eight sites with known chemical contamination. Bioassays of nine samples of unknown chemical composition from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal site showed that a lettuce seed soil contact phytoassay was most sensitive. Preliminary evidence suggests that bioassays might be a useful tool in broadly identifying classes of toxic components of contaminated soil. Nearly pure formulations of insecticides and herbicides were less toxic than were their counterpart commercial formulations. This finding indicates that chemical analysis alone may fail to correctly rate the severity of possible environmental toxicity. Finally, we demonstrate that the lettuce seed phytoassay and kriging techniques can be used to map contamination in a portion of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal site and aid in cleanup decisions.

The Neubauer technique was modified to provide a sensitive and economical phytoassay for soils and surface waters obtained from a chemical waste site. Use of individual plastic enclosures allowed safe handling and disposal over the course of our experiments. Laboratory tests showed that water from a holding basin was toxic to wheat plants at dilutions of less than 1% and that our modified Neubauer technique produced results compatible with both pot culture and the standard Neubauer test. Further testing of several inorganic constituents of the basin water pointed to an organic toxicant, even though the original water contained high levels of sodium, copper and other elements.The results of testing 26 samples from an abandoned waste pond were negative insofar as toxicity to wheat and lettuce seeds, whereas samples from an abandoned ditch allowed us to determine areal toxicity as well as toxicity as a function of depth and suggested that more than one species should be tested.