Toxicological effects of bituminous coal dust on the earthworm Eisenia fetida (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae)
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Toxicological effects of bituminous coal dust on the earthworm Eisenia fetida (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) I. Tirado-Ballestas
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K. Caballero-Gallardo
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J. Olivero-Verbel
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Accepted: 3 August 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The exploitation of coal is an important resource to generate energy worldwide. However, during the processes of coal extraction, transport, and cargo, dust particles are released into the environment. The aim of this study was to determine the toxicological effects of bituminous coal dust (2 µg/g) were found for Ba (76.2 µg/g), Sr (12.1 µg/g), Cu (11.2 µg/g), Pb (5.11 µg/g), and As (2.20 µg/g).
E. fetida mortality following coal dust exposure No mortality was observed in earthworms exposed to 0, 1, and 2% coal dust concentrations after 28 days of treatment. Nonetheless, after 14 days, the highest tested concentrations (3 and 4%) presented an average mortality of 4.0% ± 2.4% and 10.0% ± 3.2%, respectively. This last was statistically significant compared to the control group (Fig. S2).
Bodyweight changes in earthworms exposed to coal dust A significant reduction in the bodyweight of the earthworms was observed after 14 and 28 days of exposure to soils containing 2, 3, and 4% coal dust (Fig. 1). This effect on weight was both concentration- and exposure timedependent. Greatest weight reduction (29.6%) was achieved after 4-week of exposure to 4% coal dust.
Morphological, physiological assessment and behavioral findings The most common morphological alterations observed in the exposed organisms are shown in Fig. 2. Prevalence of the registered findings is depicted in Table 1. The control group displayed normal features without evident anatomical changes (Fig. 2a–c, j), showing hydrated and homogeneous colored epidermis, and a developed saddle-shape clitellum with a regular shape and size (Video S1). The earthworms exposed to 3% coal dust presented different morphological
Fig. 2 Anatomical changes in E. fetida exposed to coal dust. Experimental groups: Control (a–c), 3% (d–f) and 4% coal dust (g–i). Sectional views of E. fetida. Control (j) and 3-4% coal dust (k, l). SC segment constriction, SS segment swelling, differential shrinkage of body sections (SBS), LC loss of color, LW loss of weight, PE peeling of the epidermis
abnormalities such as segment constriction (SC) and swelling (SS), differential shrinkage of body sections (SBS), and loss of color (LC) (Fig. 2d–f). Greater pollutant (4% coal dust), and exposure time revealed the worsening of the damage (Fig. 2g–i), with additional injury features such peeling of the epidermis (PE) (Fig. 2i), mucus production (MP), and clitellum involution (CI) (Fig. 2k, l; Videos S2–S3). Most of the aforementioned effects were dependent on the concentration of coal dust in the substrate, and appeared at a particular exposure time (Table 1). At the two highest concentrations, annelids showed the highest frequency of physiological changes, especially in terms of MP, wi
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