PhD Oral Defense: Assessment of emerging organic contaminant toxicity to the earthworm Eisenia fetida using GC-MS metabolomics

PhD Oral Defense of Joseph Daniel Gillis, Bioresource Engineering

Emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products are increasingly being detected in soil and water bodies as a result of the release of wastewater effluent and the application of biosolids to land. Many emerging contaminants have not undergone thorough ecotoxicity testing, since they have only recently come to the attention of scientists, government, and the public. Earthworm toxicity tests play a key role in determining the risk of a contaminant to the health of soil organisms. Metabolomics is emerging as a useful tool for assessing toxicity, since it provides a snapshot of the physiological state of an organism and yields a greater depth of knowledge than traditional endpoints. This thesis uses standard earthworm toxicity testing methods combined with targeted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomics to assess the toxicity to earthworms of three emerging contaminants (triclosan, methyltriclosan, and metformin) present in biosolids.

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