Ecotoxicity testing of airborne particulate matter—comparison of sample preparation techniques for the Vibrio fischeri assay

Abstract

The bioassay based on the bioluminescence inhibition of the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri has been the most widely used test for the assessment of airborne particulate matter ecotoxicity. Most studies available use an extract of the solid sample, either made with water or organic solvents. As an alternative, a whole-aerosol test is also available where test bacteria are in actual contact with contaminated particles. In our study, different extraction procedures were compared to this direct contact test based on the V. fischeri assay and analytical measurements. The lowest PAH content and the highest EC50 were determined in water extract, while the highest PAH amount and lowest EC50 were measured in dichloromethane, hexane, and dimethyl-sulphoxide extracts. EC50 of the direct contact test was comparable to that of the methanol extract. Our results suggest that the sensitivity of the direct contact test equals to that of extraction procedures using organic solvents, moreover, it is mimicking an environmentally realistic exposure route.

Road Dust Resuspension in a Coastal Atlantic Intermunicipal Urban Area with Industrial Facilities: Emission Factors, Chemical Composition and Ecotoxicity

“…Due to the hydrophobic characteristics of PAHs and a subsequent partial solubilisation in water, this methodology could have not fully reflected the toxicity on A. fischeri (Hirmann et al, 2007). Non-aqueous solutions could also be explored in order to achieve a better homogenisation of PAHs content in the liquid mean to which the bacteria are exposed (Kováts et al, 2021).…”