Safe for the soil? Sublethal costs highlight the ecotoxicity of effluent- versus biosolids-borne contaminant mixtures.
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| Title: | Safe for the soil? Sublethal costs highlight the ecotoxicity of effluent- versus biosolids-borne contaminant mixtures. |
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| Authors: | Sidhu, Harmanpreet S1 (AUTHOR), Faheem, Muhammad2 (AUTHOR), Slater, Gregory F3 (AUTHOR) gslater@mcmaster.ca |
| Source: | Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry. Jun2026, Vol. 45 Issue 6, p1447-1459. 13p. |
| Subjects: | Sewage sludge, Bioavailability, Soil pollution, Physiological stress, Effluent quality, Pollutants, Microbial communities, Environmental toxicology |
| Abstract: | Land application of biosolids and effluent is becoming increasingly common, yet the ecotoxicological impacts of complex contaminant mixtures found in these wastewater residuals remain poorly understood. Another key knowledge gap is how the delivery matrix (biosolids vs. effluent) governs these effects. To assess these complex questions, we employed a novel experimental framework using a high-sorption (high organic matter) soil to create a "best-case scenario" for contaminant immobilization that limited bioaccessibility. This design allowed us to isolate and compare the ecotoxicological impacts of multi-class contaminant mixtures (delivered via aqueous effluent or solid biosolids) on plants, earthworms, and soil microbes across environmentally relevant concentrations. While the soil's sorptive capacity prevented harm to apical endpoints like growth and reproduction, a robust multi-component statistical analysis of sensitive sublethal biomarkers indicated concentration-dependent oxidative stress in both plants and earthworms. Microbial community structure was the most sensitive indicator, for which our data suggest two distinct toxicological mechanisms: highly bioavailable contaminant mixtures in effluent caused notable, albeit variable, reduction in microbial richness, whereas less-bioavailable biosolids-borne contaminants induced selective community restructuring. This work indicates that the contaminant delivery matrix is a critical driver of ecotoxicity. Sublethal harm in this highly sorptive soil suggests that ecological risks from contaminant mixtures in typical, lower organic matter agricultural soils—where bioavailability may be greater—may be underestimated, supporting the need for bioavailability-aware reuse policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 195127989 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Safe for the soil? Sublethal costs highlight the ecotoxicity of effluent- versus biosolids-borne contaminant mixtures. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sidhu%2C+Harmanpreet+S%22">Sidhu, Harmanpreet S</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Faheem%2C+Muhammad%22">Faheem, Muhammad</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Slater%2C+Gregory+F%22">Slater, Gregory F</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> gslater@mcmaster.ca</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Environmental+Toxicology+%26+Chemistry%22">Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 45 Issue 6, p1447-1459. 13p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sewage+sludge%22">Sewage sludge</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Bioavailability%22">Bioavailability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Soil+pollution%22">Soil pollution</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Physiological+stress%22">Physiological stress</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Effluent+quality%22">Effluent quality</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pollutants%22">Pollutants</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Microbial+communities%22">Microbial communities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Environmental+toxicology%22">Environmental toxicology</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Land application of biosolids and effluent is becoming increasingly common, yet the ecotoxicological impacts of complex contaminant mixtures found in these wastewater residuals remain poorly understood. Another key knowledge gap is how the delivery matrix (biosolids vs. effluent) governs these effects. To assess these complex questions, we employed a novel experimental framework using a high-sorption (high organic matter) soil to create a "best-case scenario" for contaminant immobilization that limited bioaccessibility. This design allowed us to isolate and compare the ecotoxicological impacts of multi-class contaminant mixtures (delivered via aqueous effluent or solid biosolids) on plants, earthworms, and soil microbes across environmentally relevant concentrations. While the soil's sorptive capacity prevented harm to apical endpoints like growth and reproduction, a robust multi-component statistical analysis of sensitive sublethal biomarkers indicated concentration-dependent oxidative stress in both plants and earthworms. Microbial community structure was the most sensitive indicator, for which our data suggest two distinct toxicological mechanisms: highly bioavailable contaminant mixtures in effluent caused notable, albeit variable, reduction in microbial richness, whereas less-bioavailable biosolids-borne contaminants induced selective community restructuring. This work indicates that the contaminant delivery matrix is a critical driver of ecotoxicity. Sublethal harm in this highly sorptive soil suggests that ecological risks from contaminant mixtures in typical, lower organic matter agricultural soils—where bioavailability may be greater—may be underestimated, supporting the need for bioavailability-aware reuse policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1093/etojnl/vgag023 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 13 StartPage: 1447 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Sewage sludge Type: general – SubjectFull: Bioavailability Type: general – SubjectFull: Soil pollution Type: general – SubjectFull: Physiological stress Type: general – SubjectFull: Effluent quality Type: general – SubjectFull: Pollutants Type: general – SubjectFull: Microbial communities Type: general – SubjectFull: Environmental toxicology Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Safe for the soil? Sublethal costs highlight the ecotoxicity of effluent- versus biosolids-borne contaminant mixtures. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Sidhu, Harmanpreet S – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Faheem, Muhammad – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Slater, Gregory F IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 06 Text: Jun2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 07307268 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 45 – Type: issue Value: 6 Titles: – TitleFull: Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
