Monitoring of toxicity of As(V) solutions by AMPHITOX test without and with treatment with zerovalent iron nanoparticles

• Published in: Environmental toxicology and pharmacology Vol. 60; pp. 138 - 145
• Main Authors: Pérez Coll, Cristina S., Pabón-Reyes, Carolina, Meichtry, Jorge M., Litter, Marta I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.06.2018; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Arsenate; Arsenic; Bioassays; Chronic exposure; Contamination; Embryos; Iron; Larvae; Life cycle analysis; Monitoring; Nanoparticles; Nanostructured ceramics; Rhinella arenarum; Sensitivity analysis; Sublethal effects; Toxicity; Toxicity bioassays; Toxicity testing; Zerovalent iron nanoparticles; LOEC; Zerovalent iron nanoparticles; Arsenic; Toxicity bioassays; Rhinella arenarum; nZVIR; nZVI; AMPHITOX; ASol; TOP; TI; Arsenate; LC; EC
• ISSN: 1382-6689; 1872-7077
• DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2018.04.018

•As(V) caused lethal and sublethal effects on the early development of R. arenarum.•Zerovalent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) removed 77% As(V) from aquatic solutions.•Treated As(V) solutions, after nZVI removal, did not cause toxicity.•Toxicity assessment in various lifecycle stages and by chronic time is relevant.•nZVI is a sustainable technology for As(V) water removal. Changes in toxicity of As(V) solutions from acute to chronic exposure have been evaluated by the AMPHITOX test. This test employs Rhinella arenarum, a widely distributed toad in Argentine areas. LOEC values were 6.37 and 1.88 mg L−1 for embryos and larvae, respectively, and serious sublethal effects have been observed. Toxicity of As(V) solutions has been also evaluated after treatment with zerovalent iron nanoparticles (nZVI). After 60 min of treatment with nZVI, As(V) removal was 77%, and neither lethal nor sublethal effects were observed. However, nZVI had to be eliminated before the bioassay because they caused adverse effects in both embryos and larvae. This work highlights the high sensitivity of R. arenarum to As(V), the relevance to assess toxicity on different periods of the lifecycle, and the need to expand exposure to As(V) to chronic times. The utility of the test for monitoring toxicity changes in As(V) solutions after nZVI treatment has been also shown.