Changes in toxicity and bioavailability of lead in contaminated soils to the earthworm Eisenia fetida (Savigny 1826) after bone meal amendments to the soil.

The effect of bone meal (Ca5(PO4)3OH) amendments on lead (Pb) bioavailability to Eisenia fetida (Savigny 1826) was investigated. A standard uncontaminated soil was amended with Pb(NO3)2 solution to give Pb concentrations of 7,000 microg/g of soil. After one week, bone meal was added to one half of the soil in the ratio 1:20 bone meal:soil. Immediately after addition of the bone meal, survival times of E. fetida were 23 and 41 h in the bone meal-free and bone meal-amended soil, respectively. Twenty-eight days after addition of the bone meal, survival times of Eisenia fetida were 67 h in the bone meal-free soil and more than 168 h in the bone meal-amended soil. In a second experiment, a standard Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reproduction toxicity test was carried out, but in addition to Pb(NO3)2 solution, bone meal was added to the soil in the ratio 1:20 bone meal:soil. The bone meal-free soil was left for five weeks before addition of E. fetida. In the bone meal-amended soil, bone meal was added to the soil one week after addition of the Pb. The soil was left for a further four weeks before addition of Eisenia fetida. Calculated toxicities were significantly lower for the bone meal-amended soil than those calculated for the bone meal-free soil. Twenty-eight-day median lethal concentrations (LC50s; concentration that is statistically likely to kill 50% of the exposed test organism within a given time period +/- 95% confidence intervals) of Pb were 4,379 +/- 356 microg/g of soil for bone meal-free soil and 5,203 +/- 401 microg/g of soil for bone meal-amended soil. Twenty-eight-day median effect concentrations (EC50s; concentration causing a reduction by 50% of a stated parameter) of Pb for weight change were 1,408 +/- 198 microg/g of soil for bone meal-free soil and 3,334 +/- 731 microg/g of soil for bone meal-amended soil and EC50s for cocoon production were 971 +/- 633 microg/g of soil for bone meal-free soil and 1,814 +/- 613 microg/g of soil for bone meal-amended soil. Significant mortalities occurred at Pb concentrations of 2,000 microg/g of soil in the bone meal-free soil and 5,000 microg/g of soil in the bone meal-amended soil. Earthworm Pb body load was lower in the bone meal-treated soil than in the bone meal-free soil up to a Pb concentration of 5,000 microg/g of soil. Earthworm Pb body load was approximately 100 microg/g of worm in surviving earthworms in both experiments when significant mortality occurred. Water and diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid-extractable soil Pb showed good correlations with earthworm Pb body load. These extractions could be used as estimates for Pb bioavailability.