Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026

Assessment of Waste-Derived Biochars on the Health and Biological Activity of Soil
Published on: October 10, 2025
Evaluation of the toxic and genotoxic potential of landfill leachates using bioassays
Tiago Bortolotto1, Jean Borges Bertoldo, Fernanda Zanette da Silveira
1GPIG-Grupo de Pesquisa em Imunologia e Genética, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, 88806-000 Criciúma, SC, Brazil.
Abstract:
Landfill leachates are liquid effluents with elevated concentrations of chemical compounds that can cause serious environmental pollution. In the south of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, a sanitary landfill was installed that employs a system of anaerobic/facultative lagoons for the treatment of its leachate. The present work examined the toxic and genotoxic potential of untreated and treated landfill leachates using bioassays. The chemical, toxic, genotoxic and mutagenic properties of the untreated leachate and the treated leachate were determined. Examination of the chemical properties showed a marked decrease in parameters after treatment, as well as in toxicity towards all the organisms tested. The results of the comet assay demonstrated that both leachates showed genotoxicity in all of the organisms tested, indicating the persistence of genotoxic substances even after treatment. A significant decrease in micronucleated cells was detected in Geophagus brasiliensis exposed to the treated leachate compared to untreated.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Toxicity Testing in Animals
Microbial Leaching
Toxic Reactions: Overview
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
Bioactivation and Tissue Toxicity

