Soils represent the final destination of pollutants coming from both air and water inputs. Heavy metals are of primary concern as they persist in the environment, move up the food chain and could cause several disorders. The aim of this study was to compare the metal contamination and ecotoxicity of two soils at different use: the former placed in an urban transport zone and the latter in an agricultural area. The concentration of some trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) and of their available fractions were measured in both the soils. A battery of ecotoxicological tests was performed on whole soil and on soil aqueous extract. Organisms belonging to different trophic levels were used: bacteria (Vibrio fischeri), algae (Sele-nastrum capricornutum), plants (Sorghum saccharatum, Lepidium sativum, Sinapis alba) and crustaceans (Daphnia magna, Heterocypris incongruens). Moreover, the genotoxic effects were assessed by Viciafaba micronu-cleus assay. The urban soil, characterized by high Pb concentration, exerted a moderate toxicity upon V. fischeri and a clear biostimulation upon S. alba, instead of soil aqueous extract produced only algae growth biostimulation. The observed genotoxic effects could be attributable to soil Pb concentration as total and available. The agricultural soil, mainly characterized by high Cu concentration, led to bacteria bioluminescence inhibition, while soil aqueous extract revealed high toxicity on S. capricornutum growth. Genotoxic effects were not high-lighted. The integration of toxicity data in the ecotoxicological risk index showed the highest risk value for the agricultural soil. © by PSP Volume 19 - No 8b. 2010.

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