A comparison of microbial contact bioassay with conventional elutriate assays for evaluation of wastes hazard

The aim of this investigation was to develop a battery of bioassays - contact and elutriate tests with Bacillus pumilus, elutriate tests with Daphnia magna and Paramecium caudatum, for the assessment of the wastes' toxicity. The contact test with B. pumilus was more sensitive than the elutriate test. The estimated LID10 were much higher for Daphnia and Bacillus tests than for Paramecium test. No correlation was determined between the data files of bioassays and of the chemical analysis of the waste. The procedure for classifying the wastes into the hazard classes by calculating LID10 in the Bacillus test was proposed. Copyright © 2010 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd