An assessment of the genotoxic effects of landfill leachates using bacterial and plant tests J. Kwasniewska a,n , G. Na" ˛ ecz-Jawecki b , A. Skrzypczak b , G.A. P"aza c , M. Matejczyk c a University of Silesia, Department of Anatomy and Cytology, 28 Jagiellonska, 40-032 Katowice, Poland b Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Medical University of Warsaw, 1 Banacha, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland c Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas, 6 Kossutha, 40-844 Katowice, Poland article info Article history: Received 15 June 2011 Received in revised form 16 August 2011 Accepted 20 August 2011 Available online 3 September 2011 Keywords: Landfill leachates Genotoxicity Allium test Ames test Umu-test abstract Two bacterial tests (the Ames test and the umu-test) and the Allium test were used to assess the genotoxicity of aqueous leachates from municipal solid waste landfill sites in Southern Poland. A comparison of the sensitivity of the applied tests was performed. None of the tested samples revealed genotoxic activity in the umu-test and thus did not appear to be sensitive enough for evaluations of leachates. Two out of 22 leachates were described as genotoxic in the Ames test and 3 out of 6 leachates in the Allium test. All of the analyzed leachates samples affected cell divisions. Two of the tests applied, the Allium and Ames test, revealed the high genotoxicity of leachate 4. Among the bioassays used in these studies, the Allium test proved to be more sensitive than bacterial tests for the investigation of leachate toxicity. The results suggest that the Allium cytogenetic bioassay is efficient and simple for genotoxicity studies of leachates. The potential correlations between the chemical characteristics and genotoxic effects is discussed. The biological effects of selected appeared to be related to chemical parameters. Leachates have a genotoxic potential and pose a risk to human health and the environment. A combination of biotests and chemical analyses is the best approach for the assessment of the risk or impact of leachates. & 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The contamination of soil, ground or surface waters from municipal landfill leachates has become a serious problem due to the risks to the environment and human health. Therefore, it is important to study their genotoxic effects on living cells/organ- isms. Landfill leachate studies are commonly conducted; how- ever, the studies are often limited to the physico-chemical characteristics (Marttinen et al., 2002; Slack et al., 2005). Geno- toxicity is the result of numerous contaminants in leachates and their interactions. Therefore, genotoxicity testing of landfill lea- chates is more helpful in estimating the risks than the chemical characteristics alone. In the beginning, the genetic effects of leachates were examined in bacterial cells. Plant bioassays are well accepted and recommended for screen- ing and monitoring the toxicity of environmental pollutants (Grant, 1999; Ma, 1999). Among them the Allium test has been routinely used for the detection of genetic damage resulting from physical and chemical agents, as well as from complex mixtures. This test is excellent for assessing the frequencies of chromosome aberrations (CA) in mitosis and micronuclei (MN) in interphase cells. In addition, the cytotoxicity observed as a reduction in the mitotic index and nuclear abnormalities is determined (Leme and Marin- Morales, 2009). The Allium test has been employed to detect effects induced by different classes of pollutants, including metals, pesti- cides, aromatic hydrocarbons, textile industry dyes, complex mix- tures and other agents. Many studies have been carried out using the Allium test to evaluate complex environmental mixtures, such as waste, surface and ground water of an urban area (Smaka-Kincl et al., 1996), sludge from municipal treatment stations (Rank and Nielsen, 1998) and soil samples (Cotelle et al., 1999). Plant bioassays, such as: Vicia faba, Triticum aestivum, Hordeum vulgare tests were previously used to monitor the genotoxicity of landfill leachates (Li et al., 2008; Sang and Li, 2004; Sang et al., 2006). The genetic damage induced by leachates was studied in A. cepa cells as well (Bortolotto et al., 2009). The results of the Allium test are known to be well correlated with the data obtained from prokaryotic systems (Houk, 1992). The Ames test is based on the detection of histidine-independent revertants in Salmonella strains with or without enzymatic activa- tions. Among bacterial systems, the Ames test is the most widely used for detecting mutagenicity (Bessi et al., 1992; Mortelmans and Zeiger, 2000). The ‘‘umu-test’’, the other applied bacterial system is a genotoxicity test with the bacteria Salmonella typhimurium, which Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ecoenv Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 0147-6513/$ - see front matter & 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2011.08.020 n Corresponding author. E-mail address: jolanta.juchimiuk@us.edu.pl (J. Kwasniewska). Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 75 (2012) 55–62