Abstract:
Evaluation of the effcaey of waste treatment
technologies of industnal waste is a major challenge for
sustainable industrial development world-wide. Hence, new
strategies are needed to assess interactive toxic effects of all
substances present in the treated waste. This study assessed
potential toxic hazards of treated effluents discharged from
common wastewater treatment plants of two mclustrlal zones
located in the Kelani River basin using Allium cepa (common
onion) test system. The results showed that the final effluents
of both industrial zones under undiluted and diluted (1 IS v/v)
conditions mduced cytotoxrcity on all occasions, with evidence
of significant (p < 0.05) mlto-depression In the root meristem
and retardation of root growth in A. cepa. Genotoxlc hazard of
the effuents was evident by frequent mcrease of nuclear and
chromosomal abnormalltles, and occasional development of
micronuclei in the root merlstem. Dilution of the effluents to
1 reduced the genotoxic effects generated in A. cepa roots
by the final effuents_ The results revealed that waste treatment
technologies m these two mdustnal zones need to be upgraded
m order to ehmmate cytotoxlc and genotoxrc hazards associated
with the treated effuents_ The results highlight the importance
of incorporatmg practically feasible bioanalytical tools such as
A. cepa root based test system on a regular basis for evaluating
the efficacy of waste treatment technologies.
