Species-dependent effects of earthworms on the fates and bioavailability of tetrabromobisphenol A and cadmium coexisted in soils

Xian Chen; Xueyuan Gu; Xiaopeng Zhao; Yongfeng Wang; Yanan Pan; Xuan Ma; Xiaorong Wang; Rong Ji

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.196

Species-dependent effects of earthworms on the fates and bioavailability of tetrabromobisphenol A and cadmium coexisted in soils

Sci Total Environ. 2019 Mar 25:658:1416-1422. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.196. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Authors

Xian Chen¹, Xueyuan Gu², Xiaopeng Zhao³, Yongfeng Wang⁴, Yanan Pan⁵, Xuan Ma⁶, Xiaorong Wang⁷, Rong Ji⁸

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China; School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, 1801 Zhongwu Avenue, Changzhou 213001, China. Electronic address: chenxian@jsut.edu.cn.
² State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: xygu@nju.edu.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: mg1525044@smail.nju.edu.cn.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China.
⁵ School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, 1801 Zhongwu Avenue, Changzhou 213001, China. Electronic address: 2016332122@smail.jsut.edu.cn.
⁶ School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, 1801 Zhongwu Avenue, Changzhou 213001, China. Electronic address: 2016332220@smail.jsut.edu.cn.
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: ekxr@nju.edu.cn.
⁸ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: ji@nju.edu.cn.

PMID: 30678001
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.196

Abstract

The activity of e-waste recycling often causes the combined pollution of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and cadmium (Cd) in soils. In this study, the effects of their co-existence on each other's fate, further reflecting the bioavailability, were analyzed in the presence of two ecologically different earthworm species, endogeic Metaphire guillelmi and epigeic Eisenia fetida. Mineralization of ¹⁴C-TBBPA combined with 10 mg Cd kg^-1 was suppressed by the presence of M. guillelmi, whereas a facilitating effect was produced by the combination of 1 mg Cd kg^-1 in the soil-E. fetida system after a 14-day exposure. The uptake of ¹⁴C-TBBPA by M. guillelmi (17% of initial amount) and by E. fetida (10%) dominantly contributed to significant (P < 0.05) decrease of extractable (more bioavailable) ¹⁴C residues in soils both with and without Cd spiked, while the mineralization of ¹⁴C-TBBPA in the soils was negligible (<0.4%). Meanwhile the amendments of the two earthworm species exerted different impact on ¹⁴C distribution in bound residues. In general, co-exposure to Cd did not significantly (P > 0.05) influence the accumulation and metabolism of TBBPA in the earthworms. Both earthworms accumulated only ~7% of Cd in soil, however, the bioavailable Cd determined by the diffusive gradients in thin films technique declined by ~46% in the presence of M. guillelmi, and a much smaller decrease was determined in the presence of E. fetida. Amendment of TBBPA at environmental levels did not alter the accumulation and subcellular distribution of Cd in both earthworms unless that at high doses. The results highlighted the importance of considering the difference of the earthworm species and the interaction of pollutants in soil-risk assessments of such combined contamination. CAPSULE: M. guillelmi displayed greater effect on the fate of TBBPA and Cd co-existed in soils than E. fetida, while the accumulation, metabolism, or distribution of the two pollutants in earthworms did not significantly alter due to interactions between the two pollutants.

Keywords: Bioavailability; Cadmium; Combined pollution; Earthworm species; Fate; Tetrabromobisphenol A.

MeSH terms

Animals
Biological Availability
Cadmium / metabolism*
Environmental Monitoring*
Oligochaeta / metabolism*
Polybrominated Biphenyls / metabolism*
Soil Pollutants / metabolism*
Species Specificity

Substances

Polybrominated Biphenyls
Soil Pollutants
Cadmium
tetrabromobisphenol A