0000000001053294
AUTHOR
Matti T. Leppänen
showing 18 related works from this author
Assessing the influence of confounding biological factors when estimating bioaccumulation of PCBs with passive samplers in aquatic ecosystems
2017
Passive samplers are promising surrogates for organisms, mimicking bioaccumulation. However, several biological characteristics disturb the passive partitioning process in organisms by accelerating or restraining bioaccumulation, resulting in species-specific body residues of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs). In addition to site-specific characteristics and HOC concentrations, age, sex, diet, biotransformation capability and habitat-specific characteristics may affect body residues. Two passive sampler types, polyethylene (PE) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were deployed in a PCB-contaminated freshwater lake water and sediment, respectively, to assess their bioaccumulation predictio…
Chironomus riparius exposure to fullerene-contaminated sediment results in oxidative stress and may impact life cycle parameters
2015
A key component of understanding the potential environmental risks of fullerenes (C60) is their potential effects on benthic invertebrates. Using the sediment dwelling invertebrate Chironomus riparius we explored the effects of acute (12 h and 24 h) and chronic (10 d, 15 d, and 28 d) exposures of sediment associated fullerenes. The aims of this study were to assess the impact of exposure to C60 in the sediment top layer ((0.025, 0.18 and 0.48) C60 mg/cm2) on larval growth, oxidative stress and emergence rates and to quantify larval body burdens in similarly exposed organisms. Oxidative stress localization was observed in the tissues next to the microvilli and exoskeleton through a method fo…
Predicting the bioaccumulation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in benthic animals in sediments
2016
There were two main objectives in this study. The first was to compare the accuracy of different prediction methods for the chemical concentrations of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the organism, based on the measured chemical concentrations existing in sediment dry matter or pore water. The predicted tissue concentrations were compared to the measured ones after 28-day laboratory test using oligochaeta worms (Lumbriculus variegatus). The second objective was to compare the bioaccumulation of PAHs and PCBs in the laboratory test with the in situ bioaccumulation of these compounds. Using the traditional organic carbon-water partitioning model, tissue…
Fullerenes(nC60) affect the growth and development of the sediment-dwelling invertebrate Chironomus riparius larvae
2015
Abstract The possible toxicity of nanoparticles (NPs) to aquatic organisms needs to be investigated for chronic effects at low concentrations. Chronic effects of carbon NPs, fullerenesC60, on the midges of Chironomus riparius at different life stages on larvae and adult midges were investigated. Sediment associated fullerenesC60 were studied by 10-day growth and 42-day emergence tests with artificial sediment at nominal concentration ranges 0.0004–80 mg/kg dry weight. The body length decreased in the lower tested concentrations (0.0025–20 mg/kg), but the effect vanished with higher concentrations. Delayed emergence rate observed at 0.5 mg/kg. The observed effects correlated with analyzed se…
A screening study on the fate of fullerenes (nC60) and their toxic implications in natural freshwaters
2013
Increasing usage of fullerenes (C60) increases their opportunities to be released into the environment. For risk assessment, it is important to understand the environmental fate and ecotoxicological effects of C60. In the present study, fullerene settling was measured during a 1-yr period with 4 different lake waters and an artificial freshwater, and Daphnia magna immobilization and fullerene accumulation was also measured in each of the lake waters. Depending on the characteristics of the lake waters, fullerenes either exhibited extended water stability or settled rapidly; in all waters, there was a fraction that remained stable after 1 yr. Water stability was affected by the quality and m…
Ecotoxicity assessment of boreal lake sediments affected by metal mining: Sediment quality triad approach complemented with metal bioavailability and…
2019
Highlights • Ecological risk assessment of metal-contaminated boreal lakes and sediments. • Sediment Quality Triad complemented with bioavailability and body residue studies. • Toxicity studies for natural sediments with several organisms and endpoints • Adverse effects observed. High variation on results between different methods. • Standard toxicity tests not suitable for testing, too low pH hampers the results. There are several methods for studying metal-contaminated freshwater sediments, but more information is needed on which methods to include in ecological risk assessment. In this study, we compliment the traditional Sediment Quality Triad (SQT) approach – including information on c…
Effects of Activated Carbon on PCB Bioaccumulation and Biological Responses of Chironomus riparius in Full Life Cycle Test
2016
The nonbiting midge Chironomus riparius was used to study the remediation potential and secondary effects of activated carbon (AC, ø 63-200 μm) in PCB contaminated sediments. AC amendments efficiently reduced PCB bioavailability determined by Chironomus riparius bioaccumulation tests and passive samplers. PCBs were shown to transfer from larvae to adults. Lower PCB concentrations were observed in adult midges emerging from AC amended compared to unamended sediments. Increased reproduction, survival, larval growth and gut wall microvilli length were observed with low AC dose (0.5% sediment dw) compared to unamended sediment, indicating an improved success of larvae in the sediment with low o…
A preliminary study on the ecotoxic potency of wastewater treatment plant sludge combining passive sampling and bioassays.
2021
Highlights • The passive samplers collected bioavail able and bioaccessible chemicals from the WWTP sludge samples. • The sampler extracts were acutely and chronically toxic to water flea. • The sampler extracts were cytotoxic and genotoxic. • The sludge treatment such as composting and digesting diminished the toxicity. • Effect-based methods should be part of the risk assessment of sludge recycling. Sewage sludge is an inevitable byproduct produced in wastewater treatment. Reusing nutrient-rich sludge will diminish the amount of waste ending in soil dumping areas and will promote circular economy. However, during sewage treatment process, several potentially harmful organic chemicals are …
Risk assessment of gypsum amendment on agricultural fields: Effects of sulfate on riverine biota
2022
Gypsum (CaSO4 ∙ 2H2 O) amendment is a promising way of decreasing the phosphorus loading of arable lands, and of thus preventing aquatic eutrophication. However, in freshwaters with low sulfate concentrations, gypsum-released sulfate may pose a threat to the biota. To assess such risks, we performed a series of sulfate toxicity tests in the laboratory and conducted field surveys. These field surveys were associated with a large-scale pilot exercise involving spreading gypsum on agricultural fields covering 18% of the Savijoki River catchment area. The gypsum amendment in such fields resulted in about fourfold increase in the mean sulfate concentration for a 2-month period, and a transient, …
Effects of activated carbon ageing in three PCB contaminated sediments: Sorption efficiency and secondary effects on Lumbriculus variegatus.
2015
The sorption efficiency and possible secondary effects of activated carbon (AC) (o 63-200 μm) was studied with Lumbriculus variegatus in three PCB contaminated sediments applying long AC-sediment contact time (3 years). AC amendment efficiently reduced PCB bioavailability as determined with both, L. variegatus bioaccumulation test and passive samplers. However, dose related secondary effects of AC on egestion rate and biomass were observed (applied doses 0.25% and 2.5% sediment dry weight). The sorption capacity and secondary effects remained similar when the experiments were repeated after three years of AC-sediment contact time. Further, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) samples reve…
The chronic effects of fullereneC 60 -associated sediments in the midge Chironomus riparius – Responses in the first and the second generation
2017
Abstract The life cycle parameters of the benthic invertebrate Chironomus riparius make it a relevant organism for use in multi-generation chronic ecotoxicology tests. Since studies on chronic exposures with fullerene carbon nanoparticles have revealed adverse effects at lower concentration ranges, it is crucial to gain understanding of the consequences in following generations. The aims of this study were to investigate whether sediment-associated fullereneC 60 impacts on C. riparius emergence and breeding, thus affecting the growth of the second generation. Larvae were exposed to fullerene-spiked sediment at concentrations of 0.5, 10 and 40 mg/kg sediment dw. Total emergence and breeding …
Trophic transfer of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in a boreal lake ecosystem: Testing of bioaccumulation models
2013
Understanding the fate of persistent organic chemicals in the environment is fundamental information for the successful protection of ecosystems and humans. A common dilemma in risk assessment is that monitoring data reveals contaminant concentrations in wildlife, while the source concentrations, route of uptake and acceptable source concentrations remain unsolved. To overcome this problem, different models have been developed in order to obtain more precise risk estimates for the food webs. However, there is still an urgent need for studies combining modelled and measured data in order to verify the functionality of the models. Studies utilising field-collected data covering entire food we…
Responses of Lumbriculus variegatus to Activated Carbon Amendments in Uncontaminated Sediments
2012
Activated carbon (AC) amendment is a recently developed sediment remediation method. The strong hydrophobic organic contaminant sorption efficiency of AC has been shown in several studies, but effects on benthic organisms require more investigation. The AC induced effects on egestion rate, growth and reproduction of Lumbriculus variegatus were studied by applying bituminous coal based AC in three different particle size fractions, namely <63 μm (90%, AC(p)), 63-200 μm (AC(m)) and 1000 μm (AC(g)), to natural uncontaminated (HS) and artificial sediment (AS). Egestion rate, growth and reproduction decreased with increasing AC concentration and finer AC particle fractions, effects being stronge…
Distribution of fullerenes (nC60) between sediment and water in freshwaters
2014
Abstract Depending on environmental conditions, fullerenes (nC 60 ) have the potential to settle to the bottom sediments. In this study the distribution of nC 60 was investigated in the labile zone between sediment and water. Three freshwater–sediment systems representing oligohumic, mesohumic, and polyhumic lakes with varying sediment composition and structure were used to investigate the target of fullerenes. The largest portion of water suspended fullerenes was found in the sediment, but a part re-suspended relatively quickly to water-stabile particles associated with natural particles. Rapid initial re-suspending was followed by a slower one offering a continuous pathway to the water ph…
Toxicity of fullerene (C60) to sediment-dwelling invertebrate Chironomus riparius larvae
2011
An environmentally realistic method to test fullerene (C(60) ) toxicity to the benthic organism Chironomus riparius was created by allowing suspended fullerenes to settle down, making a layer on top of the sediment. To test the hypothesis that higher food concentrations will reduce toxic responses, two food concentrations were tested (0.5 and 0.8% Urtica sp.) in sediment containing fullerene masses of 0.36 to 0.55 mg/cm(2) using a 10-d chronic test. In the 0.5% food level treatments, there were significant differences in all growth-related endpoints compared with controls. Fewer effects were observed for the higher food treatment. Fullerene agglomerates were observed by electron microscopy …
Sulfate sensitivity of aquatic organism in soft freshwaters explored by toxicity tests and species sensitivity distribution
2023
Elevated concentrations of sulfate in waterways are observed due to various anthropogenic activities. Elevated levels of sulfate can have harmful effects on aquatic life in freshwaters: sulfate can cause osmotic stress or specific ion toxicity in aquatic organisms, especially in soft waters where Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations are low. Formerly, chronic toxicity test data in soft water have been scarce. The chronic and acute sulfate toxicity tests conducted with aquatic organisms from 10 families across various trophic levels in this study multiplied the number of tests conducted in soft freshwater conditions and enabled derivation of the species sensitivity distribution (SSD) and sulfate haz…
Rapid Quantification of Microalgae Growth with Hyperspectral Camera and Vegetation Indices
2021
Spectral cameras are traditionally used in remote sensing of microalgae, but increasingly also in laboratory-scale applications, to study and monitor algae biomass in cultures. Practical and cost-efficient protocols for collecting and analyzing hyperspectral data are currently needed. The purpose of this study was to test a commercial, easy-to-use hyperspectral camera to monitor the growth of different algae strains in liquid samples. Indices calculated from wavebands from transmission imaging were compared against algae abundance and wet biomass obtained from an electronic cell counter, chlorophyll a concentration, and chlorophyll fluorescence. A ratio of selected wavebands containing near…
Assessing ecotoxicity of biomining effluents in stream ecosystems by in situ invertebrate bioassays : A case study in Talvivaara, Finland
2017
Mining of sulfide-rich pyritic ores produces acid mine drainage waters and has induced major ecological problems in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Biomining utilizes microbes to extract metals from the ore, and it has been suggested as a new sustainable way to produce metals. However, little is known of the potential ecotoxicological effects of biomining. In the present study, biomining impacts were assessed using survival and behavioral responses of aquatic macroinvertebrates at in situ exposures in streams. The authors used an impedance conversion technique to measure quantitatively in situ behavioral responses of larvae of the regionally common mayfly, Heptagenia dalecarlica, to discharge…