Mutagenic activity of two soils amended with a wood-preserving waste

Bioassay-directed chemical analyses were used to evaluate changes in the mutagenic activity of the organic constituents from soil-applied wood-preserving bottom sediments from the settling pond of a plant using pentachlorophenol and creosote. The bioassays used Salmonella typhimurium and Aspergillus nidulans. Soils used were Norwood sandy clay and Bastrop clay. The maximal level of mutagenic activity for acid, base and neutral fractions of the waste amended Bastrop soil was observed 540 days after application. Degradation reduced the weighted activity of the acid and neutral fractions from waste-amended Norwood and Bastrop soils. The Aspergillus assay was sensitive to lower concentrations than the Salmonella assay. Compounds in the soil identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry included pentachlorophenol, trimethylnaphthalene, acenaphthylene, fluoranthene, pyrene and cyclopentaphenanthrene. A bibliography of 37 references is appended.