Antonio Bispo

Use of in vitro (Ames and Mutatox tests) and in vivo (Amphibian Micronucleus test) assays to assess the genotoxicity of leachates from a contaminated soil

Two in vitro bacterial assays (Ames test and Mutatox test) and one in vivo Micronucleus test on amphibians were used to assess the genotoxicity of aqueous leachates from a soil sample contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals. Positive results were obtained with the three tests, suggesting that this contaminated soil may be a threat to the aquatic environment. The test sensitivity was shown to be influenced by the experimental conditions. The response was higher with the nonfiltered leachate than with 0.45 μm filtered one, which was the standard protocol (Norm X31-210). This standard procedure must be reconsidered in order to account for the pollutants adsorbed on solid particles which were biologically active. Incubation of bacteria in a liquid medium enhanced the sensitivity of the Ames test, by increasing the bioavailability of pollutants in comparison with the agar plate method. Biological tests appeared to be a useful complement to physico-chemical analysis, since they account for bioavailability and bioaccumulation of chemicals, and interactions between pollutants.

Use of Multicriteria Analysis for Selecting Ecotoxicity Tests

It is now well admitted that a battery of ecotoxicity tests should be designed by accounting for the requirements of a specific scenario such as classification of wastes or remediation efficiency of contaminated soils. The development of a single battery of tests for all applications is thereafter recognized not to be relevant. The selection of tests for constituting a battery may be established according to expert judgments, decision criteria such as cost, ecological relevance, sensitivity of selected organisms, standardization of the methods, implementation of the test protocols or after statistical analysis of test results obtained on a large series of bioassays. In this chapter, a methodological framework, based on the combination of an original multicriteria method called SIRIS and multivariate analyses, is presented for selecting ecotoxicity tests for assessing the level of contamination of soils. The interest of this approach that simultaneously accounts for ecological, technical, and economical constraints is discussed.

La préservation des sols forestiers : une ambition de l’ADEME

L’ADEME participe à la mise en œuvre des politiques publiques dans les domaines de l’environnement, de l’énergie et du développement durable. Elle aide ainsi au financement de projets, depuis la recherche jusqu’à sa mise en œuvre. Le Service Agriculture et Forêt de l’ADEME porte plusieurs thématiques dont celles liées à la mobilisation de la biomasse forestière et à la protection des sols. Concernant l’utilisation de la biomasse forestière, l’action du Service Agriculture et Forêt se décline selon les trois axes suivants : — Améliorer la connaissance des ressources, des gisements et des marchés, — Favoriser la mobilisation de la biomasse pour les différents usages, — Intégrer les enjeux environnementaux (dont les sols et le changement climatique) lors des prélèvements de biomasse notamment afin de garantir la durabilité des écosystèmes, de la ressource et des filières.