Experimental Assessment of the Toxicity Effects of Phone Battery Wastes on Aquatic and Terrestrial Bioindicators
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Asian Journal of Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 5(1): 17-27, 2020; Article no.AJBGMB.57693 ISSN: 2582-3698 Experimental Assessment of the Toxicity Effects of Phone Battery Wastes on Aquatic and Terrestrial Bioindicators Bright Obidinma Uba1*, Chisom Judith Okonkwo1 and Odera Richard Umeh2 1Department of Microbiology, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, P.M.B. 02, Uli, Anambra State, Nigeria. 2Department of Applied Microbiology and Brewing, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, P.M.B. 5025 Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria. Authors’ contributions This work was carried out in collaboration among all authors. Author BOU designed the study, performed the statistical analysis, wrote the protocol and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Author CJO managed the analyses of the study. Authors BOU, CJO and ORU managed the literature searches. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Article Information DOI: 10.9734/AJBGMB/2020/v5i130117 Editor(s): (1) Dr. Ahmed Medhat Mohamed Al-Naggar, Cairo University, Egypt. Reviewers: (1) Swarnali Nath Choudhury, The ICFAI University Tripura, India. (2) Endah Rita Sulistya Dewi, Universitas PGRI Semarang, Indonesia. Complete Peer review History: http://www.sdiarticle4.com/review-history/57693 Received 02 April 2020 Accepted 08 June 2020 Original Research Article Published 22 August 2020 ABSTRACT Aims: The present study aimed at assessing the toxicity effects of phone battery wastes on aquatic and terrestrial bioindicators. Study Design: Five treatments and the controls designs designated as 6.25%, 12.5%, 25%, 50%, 100%, CTRL and 1 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg, 4 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, 6 mg/kg, CTRL were set up in triplicates and incubated for 24 h, 72 h and 20 days at 25 ± 2°C. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Microbiology, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Nigeria during May, 2019 - August, 2019. Methodology: The growth inhibition and mortality were analyzed using Aspergillus terreus toxicity test, Allium cepa toxicity test and Limicolaria flammea toxicity test. Results: The results revealed that marine water (7.12 logCFU/mL) was shown to had more fungal _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]; Uba et al.; AJBGMB, 5(1): 17-27, 2020; Article no.AJBGMB.57693 count than the fresh water (7.07 logCFU/mL) ecosystem. On A. terreus, Itel in fresh water sample had the highest LC50 values of 30.49% while Gionee in fresh water sample had the lowest LC50 values of 21.74% after 24 h, respectively. The Itel battery sample had higher EC50 value (86.08%) than Gionee battery sample with EC50 value of 65.46% after 72 h on A. cepa. On L. flammea, Itel phone battery sample had lower (5.11%) LC50 value than Gionee phone battery sample with higher (6.20%) LC50 value at 6 mg/kg concentration after 20 days’ exposure, respectively. Conclusion: The results indicate that indiscriminate release of E- wastes into the aquatic and terrestrial environments should be discouraged. Keywords: Environmental health; cytogenototoxic; Itel; Gionee; Aspergillus terreus; Allium cepa; Limicolaria flammea. 1. INTRODUCTION family Trichocomaceae. It is one of the few species whose colonies are typically pseudo-like Mobile phones have turn out to be a crucial and cinnamon-buff to sand-brown colour with a accessory in the daily activities of numerous yellow to deep dirty brown vegetative mycelia. Nigerians. These devices permeate virtually all The conidia heads are in the form of compact open shops and electronic shopping mall across columns and chains that are round, smooth key cities and municipal areas around the brown walled. The conidiophores are hyaline, country. As a result of its growing smooth walled with biseriate phialides that are telecommunications business and ever- limited mainly to the upper part of the vesicle increasing mobile phones ownership, the country surface [6]. A. terreus was used in this study as has experienced the influx of several brands of bioindicator because it has fast mitotic and mobile phone from different manufacturers in meiotic life cycles, easily available in the fresh Europe and Asia. It has also been estimated that and marine aquatic environments and possesses there are more than 110 million subscribers in fast response to the presence of small the country making Nigeria to be the largest concentration toxic chemicals in the mobile market in Africa [1]. environments. Several investigators have postulated that the A. cepa assay is generally used as a short-term remarkable development in material technology, and cheap indicator of toxicity for monitoring mobile telecom approval and relatively short aquatic and terrestrial contamination in various lifecycles of mobile phones have led to the parts of the world [7]. The Allium test has been production of bulk amounts of electronic waste (e applied in assessing the likely synergistic effects - waste) in the country [2]. Annually, it has of a mixture of contaminants including heavy reported that electronic users generate about 20 metals, and hydrophilic and lipophilic chemicals to 50 million metric tonnes of e - wastes globally [8]. A. cepa test has also been applied in [1]. Studies in Nigeria have revealed that twice a assessing cytotoxic and genotoxic biomarkers year, an average mobile phone consumer would such as mitotic index inhibition, root growth usually change a mobile phone battery and inhibition et cetra. The valuable data from this charger amounting to a total e-waste generation assay could suggest the possible presence of of 9, 500 tonnes [2]. These large e-waste mutagenic or genotoxic mixtures in sediments productions eventually constitute an and surface waters of aquatic ecosystems [7]. A. environmental and public health challenge as the cepa was used in this study because it is rapid, hazardous metallic components of these wastes easily available throughout Nigeria and has cost are leached, absorbed and translocated across benefit than the mammalian systems. different trophic levels in the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems with their attendant toxicity Mollusc have been considered as an effective problems. and resourceful model for assessing the toxic potential of contaminants. Among the mollusc A lot of short - term bioassays such as models used for toxicity assessment of terrestrial Aspergillus spp., Allium cepa and Limicolaria ecosystem, the gastropod Limicolaria flammea flammea bioassays have been applied in the was selected for this study because of its assessment of chemical toxicity by several common availability in the Eastern Part of researchers [3,4,5]. Aspergillus terreus is one of Nigeria, its considerable economic importance as the several species of tube - like fungi in the an edible species and evidence of its sensitivity 18 Uba et al.; AJBGMB, 5(1): 17-27, 2020; Article no.AJBGMB.57693 to environmental stress. L. flammea are Uli Campus Market, in Ihiala Local Government herbivores and feed on leaves of pawpaw Area, Anambra State and placed into clean (Carica papaya), water leaf (Talinum triangulare), sterile polyethylene bags while the snails were dead and rotting leaves, cereal grains such as collected during the rainy season at different guinea corn and vegetables without any farmlands within the premises of Chukwuemeka significant damage [5,9]. Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli Campus. The collected specimens were then adapted in the Furthermore, in Nigeria, very few studies were laboratory for one week before the start of the aimed at evaluating the cytotoxicity and mortality test to curtail differences in the snail’ physiology effects of e – wastes on model microbes, plants [5,8,10]. and animals. However, Nrior et al. [3] reported the toxicity of spent mobile phone batteries 2.2 Laboratory Experimental Research (Samsung, Tecno and Nokia) on A. nidulans in Design freshwater. Bakare et al. [4] reported the cytogenotoxic effects of electronic waste Five treatments and the controls designs leachate in A. cepa root. Douglass et al. [10] designated as 6.25%, 12.5%, 25%, 50%, 100%, reported that spent phone batteries when CTRL for Aspergillus terreus toxicity test, Allium disposed into the aquatic environment, affect cepa toxicity tests and 1 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg, 3 Pseudomonas sp. more than the Mucor sp. The mg/kg, 4 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, 6 mg/kg, CTRL for present study was aimed at assessing the Limicolaria flammea toxicity test. The toxicity effects of phone battery wastes on experimental designs were set up in triplicates aquatic and terrestrial bioindicators. It is hope and incubated for 24 h, 72 h and 20 days at 25 ± that valuable data obtained from the study would 2°C. suggest the likely toxins present in the phone battery wastes with a view of demonstrating the 2.3 Sample Preparation ability of such substances to induce mortalities and cell abnormalities in the cell populations of The water samples were filtered using clean A. terreus, A. cepa and L. flammea. sterile Whatman No. 1 filter paper while the contents of the spent phone battery samples 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS were obtained by forcefully opening of the battery lids and placed into clean and labelled aluminum 2.1 Site Description, Sample and foil. The contents were prepared by setting up Specimen Collection five glass test tubes aseptically covered with cotton wool containing the appropriate filtered The study areas were Onne Light Flows Terminal fresh and marine water as described above from Seaport located in Eleme Local Government the habitat of the fungal isolates. The first four Area of Rivers State and River Niger in Onitsha test tubes contained concentrations (6.25%, South Local Government Area of Anambra State. 12.5%, 25% and 50%) while the fifth tubes They are located between latitude 4°22'50"N and contained only the filtered fresh and marine latitude 7°65'56.5"N and longitude 7°11'6.77"E water separately and the test organism and and longitude 7°11'16.2"E for the former and finally serves as the negative control [10].