Phytotoxicity and potential genotoxicity of Radiowo municipal landfill leachate

Abstract

Phytotoxicity and potential genotoxicity of Radiowo municipal landfill leachate Phytotoxicity and potential genotoxicity of Radiowo municipal landfill leachate. The most common method of municipal solid waste disposal is storing at landfills. Many hazardous substances are present in garbage and some more are formed during degradation. They may be assimilated by numerous organisms, pass through the food chain and bioaccumulate by long-term exposure in animals and humans. Therefore it seems an important tusk to monitor the toxic and genotoxic potential of municipal landfill leachates, which may contaminate waters and soils. Higher plants provide a very useful, uncomplicated and inexpensive tool for first-step screening of environmental pollutants. The objective of our study was to evaluate the phytotoxicity and potential genotoxicity of Radiowo municipal landfill leachate by the means of plant bioassays and to preliminary valuate the efficiency of zeolite as a leachate purifier. Phytotoxicity was assessed by the Allium cepa Root Elongation Bioassay and genotoxicity by the means of Allium and Vicia Root Tip Assays (RTA). Results were subjected to the F-test for the two way analysis of variance (ANOVA 2) and subsequently the Tukey's test, with statistical significance set at p = 0.05. Applied plant bioassays indicated significant phytotoxicity and potential genotoxicity of Radiowo landfill leachate The process of zeolite filtration did not eliminate, but evidently decreased phytotoxicity. It did not cause significant change in genotoxic potential of 100% leachate, but resulted in its more rapid decrease in a concentration dependent manner.