Accumulation of Insensitive Munition Compounds in the Earthworm Eisenia andrei from Amended Soil: Methodological Considerations for Determination of Bioaccumulation Factors.

The present study investigates the bioaccumulation of the insensitive munition compounds 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN) and 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO), developed for future weapons systems to replace current munitions containing sensitive explosives. The earthworm Eisenia andrei was exposed to sublethal concentrations of DNAN or NTO amended in Sassafras sandy loam. Chemical analysis indicated that 2- and 4-amino-nitroanisole (2-ANAN and 4-ANAN, respectively) were formed in DNAN-amended soils. The SumDNAN (sum of DNAN, 2-ANAN, and 4-ANAN concentrations) in soil decreased by 40% during the 14-d exposure period. The SumDNAN in the earthworm body residue increased until day 3 and decreased thereafter. Between days 3 and 14, there was a 73% decrease in tissue uptake that was greater than the 23% decrease in the soil concentration, suggesting that the bioavailable fraction may have decreased over time. By day 14, the DNAN concentration accounted for only 45% of the SumDNAN soil concentration, indicating substantial DNAN transformation in the presence of earthworms. The highest bioaccumulation factor (BAF; the tissue-to-soil concentration ratio) was 6.2 ± 1.0 kg/kg (dry wt) on day 3 and decreased to 3.8 ± 0.8 kg/kg by day 14. Kinetic studies indicated a BAF of 2.3 kg/kg, based on the earthworm DNAN uptake rate of 2.0 ± 0.24 kg/kg/d, compared with the SumDNAN elimination rate of 0.87 d-1 (half-life = 0.79 d). The compound DNAN has a similar potential to bioaccumulate from soil compared with trinitrotoluene. The NTO concentration in amended soil decreased by 57% from the initial concentration (837 mg NTO/kg dry soil) during 14 d, likely due to the formation of unknown transformation products. The bioaccumulation of NTO was negligible (BAF ≤ 0.018 kg/kg dry wt). Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1713-1725. © 2021 SETAC. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.

Toxicologic and histopathologic response of the terrestrial salamander Plethodon cinereus to soil exposures of 1,3,5-trinitrohexahydro-1,3,5-triazine.

Red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) were exposed to four different concentrations of 1,3,5-trinitrohexahydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) in soil under controlled laboratory conditions for 28 days. Wild-caught P. cinereus (N = 20/treatment) were exposed to target concentrations of 5,000, 1000, 100, 10, and 0 mg RDX/kg soil (dry wt) using a microcosm design. Animals were fed 5 to 10 uncontaminated mutant Drosophila flies every 3 days and monitored daily. Animals were weighed 1 day before being placed in treatment and weekly thereafter. RDX concentrations in soil were analytically determined after the compound was added and mixed at the beginning, the midpoint, and the end of exposure. RDX soil concentrations were relatively stable throughout the exposure period. Signs of overt toxicity were observed primarily in the highest exposure group. Salamanders exposed to 5,000 mg RDX/kg soil exhibited signs of neuromuscular effects (lethargy, gaping, hypersensitivity, tremors) and exhibited significant weight loss. A single moribund animal from this group lost >20% of its original body weight and was killed. Animals in this exposure group also lost weight relative to animals in other treatments. Histopathologic evaluations, including an evaluation of melanomacrophage parameters, indicated no strong treatment-related findings. This study provided information regarding the effects from subchronic dermal exposure of a terrestrial amphibian species to RDX in soil and provides a microcosm approach to the evaluation of toxicity of contaminants in soil to a terrestrial vertebrate.

Manganese toxicity in soil for Eisenia fetida, Enchytraeus crypticus (Oligochaeta), and Folsomia candida (Collembola).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is developing Ecological Soil Screening Level (Eco-SSL) benchmarks for ecological risk assessment (ERA) of contaminants at Superfund sites. Eco-SSLs are developed from published values whenever sufficient quantity and quality of data exist. Because insufficient information was available to generate an Eco-SSL for Mn, standardized toxicity testing was undertaken to fill the data gaps. Tests included the earthworm (Eisenia fetida) cocoon production test, the enchytraeid (Enchytraeus crypticus) reproduction test, and the collembolan (Folsomia candida) reproduction test, all conducted in Sassafras sandy loam soil that supports a relatively high bioavailability of metals. Weathering and aging of manganese-amended soil were carried out to more closely simulate exposure effects at Superfund sites on soil invertebrates. Data were analyzed by nonlinear regression to determine EC20 and EC50 values based on concentration-response relationships. The toxicity order for manganese in Sassafras sandy loam was E. crypticus>E. fetida>F. candida, with EC20 values of 116, 629, and 1209 mg kg(-1), respectively. The Eco-SSL requirement for the testing of multiple representative species is well justified. All study results will be submitted to the Eco-SSL Task Group for quality control review prior to inclusion in the Eco-SSL database.

Effects of air quality on foliar injury, growth, yield, and quality of muskmelon.

An evaluation of the effects of ambient ozone (O3) on muskmelon was conducted with the use of open-top chambers (OTCs). 'Superstar' muskmelons grown in charcoal-filtered (CF) chambers compared to those grown in nonfiltered (NF) chambers showed significant differences in the severity of visible foliar O3 injury. Furthermore, plants grown in NF conditions had significantly less (21.3%) marketable fruit weight and fewer (20.9%) marketable fruit number than those from CF chambers. No differences were found in early biomass production, leaf area, or number of nodes after 3 weeks of exposure to treatment conditions. Ambient O3 did not affect soluble solids content of mature fresh fruit nor foliage fresh weight at final harvest. Results indicate that ambient concentrations of O3 in southwestern Indiana caused significant foliar injury and yield loss to muskmelons.