Soil quality standards are based on partitioning and toxicity data for laboratory-spiked reference soils, instead of real world, historically contaminated soils, which would be more representative. Here 21 diverse historically contaminated soils from Sweden, Belgium, and France were obtained, and the soil-porewater partitioning along with the bioaccumulation in exposed worms (Enchytraeus crypticus) of native polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) were quantified. The native PACs investigated were polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and, for the first time to be included in such a study, oxygenated-PAHs (oxy-PAHs) and nitrogen containing heterocyclic PACs (N-PACs). The passive sampler polyoxymethylene (POM) was used to measure the equilibrium freely dissolved porewater concentration, Cpw, of all PACs. The obtained organic carbon normalized partitioning coefficients, KTOC, show that sorption of these native PACs is much stronger than observed in laboratory-spiked soils (typically by factors 10 to 100), which has been reported previously for PAHs but here for the first time for oxy-PAHs and N-PACs. A recently developed KTOC model for historically contaminated sediments predicted the 597 unique, native KTOC values in this study within a factor 30 for 100% of the data and a factor 3 for 58% of the data, without calibration. This model assumes that TOC in pyrogenic-impacted areas sorbs similarly to coal tar, rather than octanol as typically assumed. Black carbon (BC) inclusive partitioning models exhibited substantially poorer performance. Regarding bioaccumulation, Cpw combined with liposome-water partition coefficients corresponded better with measured worm lipid concentrations, Clipid (within a factor 10 for 85% of all PACs and soils), than Cpw combined with octanol-water partition coefficients (within a factor 10 for 76% of all PACs and soils). E. crypticus mortality and reproducibility were also quantified. No enhanced mortality was observed in the 21 historically contaminated soils despite expectations from PAH spiked reference soils. Worm reproducibility weakly correlated to Clipid of PACs, though the contributing influence of metal concentrations and soil texture could not be taken into account. The good agreement of POM-derived Cpw with independent soil and lipid partitioning models further supports that soil risk assessments would improve by accounting for bioavailability. Strategies for including bioavailability in soil risk assessment are presented.

A great deal of effort has been devoted to developing new in vitro and in vivo methods to identify and classify endocrine disrupting chemicals that have been identified in environmental samples. In this study an in vitro test based on recombinant yeast strains transfected with genes for the human estrogen receptor α was adapted to examine the presence of estrogenic and antiestrogenic substances in six Swedish landfill leachates. Antiestrogenic effects were measured as inhibition of the estradiol induced response with the human estrogen receptor α, and quantified by comparison with the corresponding inhibitory effects of a known antiestrogen, hydroxytamoxifen. The estrogenicity was within the range of that determined in domestic sewage effluents, from below the limit of detection to 29 ng estradiol units L−1. Antiestrogenicity was detected in some of the investigated landfill leachates, ranging between <38 and 3800 μg hydroxytamoxifen equivalents L−1. There was no apparent relation between the type of waste deposited on the landfills and the antiestrogenic effect. Fractionation of a landfill leachate showed that estrogenic compounds were located in two dominant fractions. Three estrogenic compounds were found that accounted for the estrogenic activity in extracts of leachates: bisphenol A, estradiol, and ethinylestradiol. The bisphenol may have been released from decomposing plastic waste and the estrogenic steroids from earlier deposits of municipal sewage sludge and pharmaceutical waste. Fractionation of leachates from three parts of a landfill showed that the antiestrogenic activity was distributed in at least four fractions and somewhat different in different flows of leachate. This indicated a heterogeneous mixture of antiestrogenic substances. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2011.

Addressing the persistent environmental threat of organic chemicals with a fresh approach to degradation and transformation processes, Environmental Degradation and Transformation of Organic Chemicals examines a wide range of compounds as well as abiotic and microbiological reactions mediated by microorganisms. The book emphasizes the pathways used

An overview is given of the pathways for the degradation and transformation of selected brominated and iodinated aliphatic and aromatic compounds. Although greater emphasis is placed on reactions mediated by microorganisms, examples of important abiotic reactions are also given. A mechanistic outline of the enzymology is provided when possible and comparisons are made with the chlorinated analogues which have been more extensively studied.

Estrogenicity in Swedish wastewaters was surveyed. Estrogenicity was examined using a recombinant yeast cell test and analyses of the yolk protein precursor in the blood of caged juvenile rainbow trout at sites close to wastewater outlets or in continuous flow tanks of undiluted wastewater. Estrogenic effects corresponding to <0.1 to 15 ng estradiol equivalents were found in municipal effluents. In 9 of 12 industrial effluents, estrogenic effects were below the detection limit of the screen test. None of the six effluents from the pulp and paper industry, from a steel works, and from two chemical industries had a detectable estrogenic effect. Two assays were used for analysis of plasma vitellogenin, a heterologous enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and a homologous radio immunoassay. Exposure to undiluted municipal wastewater resulted in increased levels of vitellogenin in the plasma of juvenile trout. Using the more sensitive RIA test, increased levels of plasma vitellogenin were detected in cage exposure of rainbow trout in municipal effluent receiving waters. Textile industry effluents mixed with domestic wastewater were estrogenic probably due to contributions from the domestic effluent. In some effluents, toxicity may have masked estrogenic effects.