Ecotoxicological evaluation of sediments contaminated by waste coal by in vivo and in vitro bioassays Authors

Toxicity of compounds presented in sediment contaminated by powdered waste coal has been examined in a set of experiments. Reproduction parameters of amphipod Gammarus fossarum and prosobranchian snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum were affected after laboratory exposures to contaminated coal sediments from Karviná mining area, northeastern Czech Republic. The exposure to sediment extract has resulted in comparable effects on the fecundity of P. antipodarum as the exposure to complex sediment sample. High dioxin-like activity and no estrogen receptor mediated effects were determined in sediment extract using two in vitro bioassays with H4IIE.luc and MVLN cells. Our findings indicate that compounds of waste coal origin might evoke endocrine disruptive effects both in vitro and in vivo and they might represent chronic risks to wildlife and humans.